One Piece : 'Red' Run
by Useli
Summary: Born the son of 'Red Haired' Shanks, and the childhood friend of Luffy, Run wants to be known as something more than just 'the son of a Yonko'. The adventures of the Straw Hat crew and their goofy Captain, and his red-headed friend as First Mate. Nico Robin x OC pairing.
1. To Surpass His Father!

This is just something I've had on my mind for a while. Constructive comments are important, so let me know what you think.

Dark, cramped, loud...three words that sum up the entire existance of the two young men somehow crammed into a single barrel. Both snore loudly, lost in their perspective dream-world. That is until the barrel jolts rather violently, and the red-head among the two begins to come around. "Hnnh? What the...?" mumbles the red-head, opening his eyes...and finding himself face to face with someone's jean-covered ass. "Luffy...your ass in in my face, brother. Please, move." A loud snore is his response, and for a moment he's half-tempted to simply go back to sleeping.

After all, there isn't much else to do while bobbing about on the ocean in a barrel...which is not exactly how he imagined the first leg of their journey going. He pauses, however, when he notices that their barrel is no longer bobbing but stationary. "Luffy. Luffy, time to get up. I think we've-" The barrel begins to roll, slowly but surely and the red-head has to brace himself to stop from squishing against Luffy...but his deeply asleep friend can't do that. "First it's bobbing, now it's rolling...well, at least we're not bouncing." Muffled voices reach his ears over the sound of snoring, and moments later the barrel is lifted, and set back down. "Oh, gimme a break."

He moves one hand, fumbling in the darkness and eventually finding Luffy's face. "Oi, oi, rise and shine, Luffy." A few firm slaps halt the snoring for a brief moment before he begins snoring again. "Oi! Wake up!" A firm slap wakes him, and he surges straight up without warning...

'Smash!'

The top of the barrel is pulverized without warning, and a young man surges straight up hitting a man in the chin and knocking him out cold. "Yeeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhh! I SLEPT GREAAAT!" bellows Luffy, moments before taking stock of his surroundings. "Huh?" Three grown men and a pink-headed boy with glasses...not much of interest or to be worried about really.

"C'mon, be a little quieter after waking up, huh?" asks the red-head popping up just enough to hang his elbows over the edge of the barrel and recline against it.

"How'd you sleep, Run?"

"Pretty good...until your ass ended up in my face, at least." Luffy ignores the comment, choosing instead to step out of the barrel and making it unbalanced for Run. As a result it immediately starts to tilt. Run glances briefly over his shoulder at the floor which is beginning to grow closer and then sighs heavily. "Naturally." It falls back and slams loudly against the floor with the young pirate. "Owie." Run looks up at Luffy, who is standing by the pink haired kid and sighs a bit. "Little help, Lu-"

"Hey, I'm starving, ya got any food?" Run sighs again and slowly crawls out of the barrel to lie on his back. The pirates continue their ranting, much to the annoyance of the Luffy, and Run but it isn't until their raise their weapons that the two actually pay them any mind. Run might have interfered if he thought there was even the tiniest chance one of them would actually connect with Luffy, but when both weapons were destroyed by a single blow from his closest friend he could only chuckle.

Thoroughly intimidated by the display, the two gather up the unconscious third and scramble out. "Little help?"

"Huh?" Luffy looks down at Run, still lying on the floor and then chuckles. "Are you still lying down there, Run? You're gonna catch a cold if ya sleep there, ya know!" Luffy helps him to his feet and then suddenly goes ram-rod straight, before looking around, sniffing wildly. "I smell...FOOD!" His eyes lock on a door across the kitchen and he heads for it without hesitation...or hinderence by the young boy clinging to his arm...

"...So, basically, our ship got swallowed up by that whirl-pool, Coby," Run finishes, a crisp snap following his final bite into the apple. He drops the core into the small pile by his feet, at the base of the crate he's sitting on. "I don't think I left anything out, did I, Luffy?" Coby follows his line of sight to Luffy, busy stuffing his face with apples from the crate, two at a time.

"Man, these things are great!" exclaims Luffy, pausing in his eating only to toss another back to Run, who catches it with ease. "Hey, Coby, are there any boats on board?"

"I...I think so," replies Coby. "I don't...how does someone survive something like that..."

"We had just enough time to cram ourselves in that barrel you found us in," Run tells him, biting a huge chunk out of the apple. "Honestly, we got lucky...plain and simple." He turns to look at Luffy's back. "But next time we might not be so lucky, which is why I said we needed to find ourselves a navigator, Cap'n."

"Aah, we'll find one, don't worry!" retorts Luffy. "But I'm curious...those pirates from earlier, you're not one of 'em, are you? It didn't look like you were getting along with them." Coby is silent for a few moments before beginning his explaination, telling the two what had happened and how. When he's finished Run is left slowly shaking his head in disgust, staring intently at his now half-eaten apple.

"Disgraceful," remarks Run simply.

"E-Eh? What is?" Coby questions him.

"This lady, this 'CAPTAIN' Alvida, I mean. Any Captain worth the name wouldn't treat his crew like that. Pirate or not. Luffy-" An apple sails towards him and he snatches it from air again. "Thanks."

"But you know, you're awfully dumb, kid!" Luffy taunts him, laughing at his misfortunte.

"C'mon, you don't have to pile on, too, ya know."

"If ya don't like it then you should just run away." Coby shakes his head violently, quickly announcing that he would be too afraid of Captain Alvida finding him to do something like that. "A coward and a wimp, too. Man, I really can't stand guys like you."

"Luffy, he's a little kid."

"N-No, it's fine," Coby tells him, offering a small smile. "He's right. I wish I had the courage you two have...ah! I haven't even asked, but where were the two of you headed?"

"The Grand Line!" proudly exclaimes Luffy, only to recieve a half-eaten apple to the forehead with little effect.

"Like Hell!" Run retorts with a growl. "I think this little incident has proved that I was right from the beginning! We need a navigator before we go ANYWHERE!"

"The G-Grand Line?! What are you heading there for?!" screeching Coby, staring at the two as if they've lost their minds.

"I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates!" bellows Luffy two loud enough to rattle the hull of the ship. If it were possible, the two were sure that Coby's jaw would have struck the floor but it only takes a moment for him to recover, and quick enough to quickly begin tell them it is impossible. While Run is content to sit and listen, Luffy quickly silences him with a punch to the top of the head.

"Why'd you hit me...?"

"Why do ya think? Insulting someone's dream is an easy way to earn a beating, ya know."

"He's just a kid, Luffy," Run tells him. "Even so...I do agree. If you aren't brave enough to have a dream of your own then you shouldn't mock someone elses, kid." Run hops down off of the crate and sighs a bit as he rolls his shoulders. "Well...I'm stuffed, if you're ready we could try finding a boat."

"Mm! Let's go find ourselves a boat, Run!" The two start towards the door calmly, sandles scraping and geta clacking on the wooden floor.

"A dream," mutters Coby, causing the two to pause. "I...I do have a dream. If I'm prepared to die for it...do you think I could do it to?"

"Definitely, kid," replies Run without hesitation.

"Then...I'll do it! I'll definitely do it! I'll join the Navy, because that's my dream!" The two blink in surprise watching silently as the boy goes on a rant...which climaxes with the entrance of a rather large woman through the ceiling of the pantry, nearly resulting in Coby being crushed.

"Who are you going to catch, Coby?!" demands a fat woman, staring at the small boy. Luffy gives her a once over before looking at Run and pointing in her direction.

"Oi, Run, who's the big fat lady?" Luffy asks his partner, recieving a shrug of his shoulders in response. Without warning the fat woman raises a huge iron club, and the two scatter in opposite directions to avoid her blow.

"Can't fight here, Luffy!" exclaims Run, snagging Coby by the back of his shirt and leaping straight up with Luffy to deck above with ease. Run sets Coby down the moment he lands and looks at the startled crew scattered across the deck. Behind them Alvida some how manages to climb out of the hole onto the deck. "Hate to say it but...I think we're sandwiched here."

"Guess we'll just have to beat up everyone then, huh?"

"Good plan. Simple, and easy to remember. But...I'll take care of the small-fry if ya don't mind. You can handle the Captain, Cap'n." Luffy grins from ear to ear in response, and reaches up to adjust his straw hat.

"Alright, then. Have fun." Run nods, raising his hand to crack his knuckles loudly. Without warning, one of them rushes forward and Run simply turns his shoulder, avoiding the man's saber. "Sea King's Sway!" The red-head drives his knee into the man's gut hard enough to lift him off his feet, and he finishes it by driving his elbow into the man's back with enough force to send him crashing through the deck of the ship into the hold below. He weaves through the group of pirates, sending them sprawling to the deck with ease. It isn't really much of a fight...more like he's delivering a beating to the many crewmen. Everything is-

"Gum Gum Pistol!" Run looks sharply in Luffy's direction just in time to weave backwards, avoiding the large body of Alvida as she sails by curtosy of Luffy's punch. Run watches her disappear into the distance, and whistles softly in appreciation.

"Good hit..."

"Hey! Give Coby a boat right now! He wants to join the Navy!" bellows Luffy, glaring at the men as if daring them to defy him...

Beautiful blue water, and sky passes by as slowly as the time does. They've been sailing for a few hours now, having left behind the pirates and the Navy coming to the rescue. Luffy sits on the small figure-head of the boat, gazing out across the horizon while Run reclines against the edge of the boat, arms spread across the railing, and head tilted back towards the sky. "So, um, you two are heading to the Grand Line together?" Coby finally asks, attempting to break the silence.

"Yup!" replies Luffy, spinning in place to face them with a huge grin. "We're going to build a strong crew and head there right away!"

"So, then, what are your positions on the crew? Who's the-"

"He's the Captain," Run says simply pointing at Luffy. "And, naturally, I'm his first-mate." Coby nods in understanding and then looks at Run.

"Um, can I ask you something, Run?"

"Shoot, kid."

"Why do you want to go to the Grand Line? Luffy wants to be King of the Pirates but...what about you?"

"I have someone I need to surpass, that's all." Luffy grins from ear to ear in response. "The easiest way to do that is to stick with Luffy, who's going to be King of the Pirates. We're going to fight a lot of strong enemies doing that, right? It's only natural for that to happen."

"If you don't mind me asking, who is this person?"

"My father." Coby waits silently for him to elaborate but only recieves a chuckle in response.

"You'd know him if you ever saw him, Coby," Luffy tells him. "They look kinda similar."

"Huh. That's strange. My old man swears up and down that I look more like my mother."

"I said 'kinda', Run." The two share a small laugh while Coby looks between the two in confusion.

"Well...time to change the subject. Where are we heading to, Luffy?"

"Hmmm...well, when I was fighting that fat lady I heard her mention someone named Zoro. Apparently, this guy hunts pirates! So I've decided that's where we're going to be heading! Let's recruit him to the crew!" Coby's face goes pale at the mention of his name which Luffy and Run interperate to be a good thing. Coby immediately launches into a rant about how dangerous he is, and how he's claimed bounty after bounty without mercy...which only serves to make the two burst out into laughter.

"So, how long if we keep on this course?"

"Haah...at least another hour or so."

"I'm gonna get some shut-eye then," Run tells the two, letting his head fall back again. "Wake me when we get there, huh...?"

The gulls cry loudly over-head, loud enough to awaken Run from his sleep...and the first thing he's aware of is the face that he's face to face with one of the winged rats. "What the- get outta here!" calls Run, shooing away the sea-bird and lifting his head slowly. He loudly cracks his neck as he begins to fully come around. "Oi...the least you guys could have done is shoo away the gulls. It's not like I'm some kinda statue for them to hang around on, ya know?"

With no response forth-coming he is suddenly made aware of two things. One, they have made port, and two...he has been left to sleep on the boat while Luffy and Coby have gone on ahead. Run pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration, and heaves a heavy sigh before slowly standing. "Well...might as well go try to find those two. No telling what kind of trouble Luffy has gotten himself into looking for this Zoro guy." A huge rumble in the distance attracts his attention and he glances towards the center of the city. "I'll bet that's Luffy..."

Coby is sweating bullets along side Zoro as they stare down the armed marines and 'Axe Hand' Morgan. "This is bad! This is really bad!" Coby panics quickly. "Where is Luffy? Or Run?"

"Hurry and let me go!" demands Zoro, looking from the boy to the marines and back large man points his axe at the two standing before them.

"Fire!" commands Morgan, moments before the wall surrounding the yard explodes, and a series of loud 'clangs!' fill the air. The bullets whiz past the marines, one of them passing close enough to Morgan to graze his cheek and cut him. "What the...?" The dust slowly settles, revealing a red-haired young man standing in front of Coby and Zoro. He lifts his saber and rests it on his left shoulder casually, as he stares at the marines. Coby can't see his face but he recognizes him by his short red hair alone.

"Who...?"

"Run!" exclaims Coby, breathing a sigh of relief when he glances over his shoulder at the boy.

"Coby," replies Run, and favors him with a kind smile...seconds before smacking him on the head. "What the hell, kid?! I told ya to wake me when we get here not-"

"Fire!" bellows Morgan a second time, not even letting him finish his sentence. Run turns but stops when Luffy lands in front of him, intercepting the rounds and ricocheting them back at the marines a second time.

"That won't work on us!" Luffy tells them simply, grinning like a fool. Strapped to his back is a trio of swords, which Run can only assume belongs to the man tied to the imitation cross beside Coby. Luffy turns to face Run and grins even wider if possible. "Yo, Run! I see you finished your nap! Ohh! And you picked up a cool sword on the way here!" Run attempts to give his friend a dirty look but eventually just sighs and smirks.

"Yeah, I did, Cap'n," retorts Run, stepping up beside Luffy to face the marines. "I bumped into a marine on the way here and was kind enough to lend this to me, so I also have a general idea of what's going on. I'll take care of these guys...you want to deal with the big guy yourself, am I right?"

"Hey, you, Red," calls Zoro, earning Run's attention despite the nickname. "Cut me loose, would ya?"

"Luffy?"

"You want me to join your crew, right? The way I see it, it's either fight the navy and live, or don't and die. The choice seems kinda obvious, doesn't it?" Luffy grins in response and Run turns, cutting the man loose without a second thought. The second his hands are free, Zoro has seized his swords and charged the marines without a second thought. He doesn't kill them, but he destroys their weapons without a second thought. Those who are able to, gather their wits and fall back towards their Captain in fear.

"Oh-ho!" exclaims Luffy, grinning at the display. "So cool!"

"Now, then, let's get one thing straight, I'll join your crew...but it's simply to fulfill my own ambition of being the best swordsman in the world. That's it, Captain."

"Well...the King of the Pirates needs the worlds best swordsman on his crew, don't you think?" The marines are sweating bullets, it's clear for all gathered to see the difference in strength between themselves and the three gathered before them. "So...I guess we should take care of the rest of these guys, then."

"What do you want to do now? These guys are too strong!" babble the marines, terrified of their strength. Morgan growls and steps forward, ignoring the complaints of the marines entirely. Luffy rushes forward, ignorin the marines as well to challenge Morgan. The fight is rather one-sided, with Morgan being too big to do much in the way of defence against the far more agile Luffy. The fight is all but decided in three blows by Luffy, and he smashes Morgan into the dirt.

"S-S-Stop! Now!" all heads turn towards the voice, and Run cringes as he takes in the mans appearance.

"Looks like...some kinda onion on his head," mutters Run, ignoring for the moment the fact that the man has a weapon held to Coby's head.

"I-I-I'll kill this guy, I swear! If you value his life, don't move!" Rather than listen to the man, Luffy just grins from ear to ear and cocks back.

"Gum-Gum-" Morgan rises up behind Luffy, raising his axe. "-Pistol!"

"That axe has just gotta go!" exclaims Run, covering the distance between them nearly at the same time as Zoro. He brings the weapon down as Run brings his saber up, slashing through the blade just as Zoro slashes through his torso and Luffy sends the man sailing through the air.

"Nice!"

"Well, that was entertaining," remarks Run, tossing his saber to the side. "Can we go get somethin' to eat now? I'm starving..."

"So, 'Red', huh?" remarks Run, reclining in his chair across from Zoro. "You couldn't come up with something more original? Well...it's not a bad nickname, I suppose." Zoro doesn't pay him much mind, intent on stuffing his face after, from what they have heard, going three weeks without a bite to eat. Luffy and Zoro continue to stuff their faces without saying a word, and when Zoro has at last finished he leans back in his chair and pats a hand against his stomach with a huge grin.

"Whew! I'm stuffed!" exclaims Zoro before noticing Luffy still eating. "How the hell can you eat more than me?"

"What do ya mean? It's good food, right?" Luffy asks him, earning a chuckle and shake of the head from Run.

"Luffy...I know that this lady offered to treat us for saving the town or whatever," begins Run, looking at the stack of plates next to his closest friend. "But that doesn't mean you should take it as a go-ahead to eat her outta house and home!" Luffy mumbles out something like an apology around a mouth full of food.

"I assume that Red here is a part of the crew, so how many others are there?" Zoro asks Luffy, trying to get a feel for their strength. "You said you're gonna be King of the Pirates, so how many have you gathered besides me? It's a good number, right?"

"Hm? Oh, the three of us is it," replies Luffy simply.

"Just us three?! How the hell can you have a crew of only three?!"

"It'll be four when we find ourselves a navigator," Run tells him plainly. "Which we'll need before we start to sail for the Grand Line." Luffy opens his mouth and Run looks pointedly at him. "And not before. We got lost on the way here because neither of us have any navigational skill at all. It's fairly obvious that we need a navigator before we do ANYTHING else." He nods his head in agreement, swallows his food and grins broadly.

"Yep! Then we can head for the Grand Line!" exclaims Luffy, making Zoro and Run smile.

"Yeah, Cap'n, then we head for the Grand Line."

"Y-You're still going to the Grand Line?" Coby questions them, recieving a nod from each in response. "Why?! Why would you go to a place like that? It's a pirate graveyard! No one comes back from there alive!"

"Why do you care? It's not like you're coming," Zoro tells him plainly.

"Even so! Luffy and Run are my friends! I've never had friends before, and now that I do I don't want to lose them!"

"Why would you?" Luffy and Run ask in tandem.

"H-Huh?"

"Just because we're going to the Grand-Line doesn't mean we'll die, and it doesn't mean that you'll never see it again," explains Luffy. "Even if you don't see us for a while that doesn't mean we'll stop being friends. We'll always be friends, Coby! Right, Run?" His long time friend chuckles a bit and nods firmly in agreement.

"They're right, besides, you got other things to worry about," Zoro tells him. "Whether or not you were an actual pirate, it doesn't change the fact that you were, at the least, a chore-boy on one of their ships. Which means, if the Navy finds out you'll never be able to join them." The doors open and everyone looks over as a group of marines enter the restuarant.

"Hm. Looks like the welcome mat has just been yanked out from under us," mutters Run. "We should probably leave."

"You three," speaks one of the marines. "Is it true that the three of you are pirates?"

"Yup!" chirps Luffy, grinning broadly.

"I see. Well, if that's the case then even if you saved this town we have no choice but ask that you leave, immediately." The resulting fall out from the locals is less that pleasant but regardless, the three stand up from the table without any fuss, and start for the door. The man looks at Coby, who doesn't make any move to leave. "You. Are you with these three."

"No. I don't know them," Coby replies quickly, earning hidden smiles from the three. It would be best if he just denied everything.

"Let's go, Cap'n, we-"

"Actually, I know this kid here," Luffy admits to everyone, and making Coby's blood run cold. "You see, this kid here..." Luffy begins to approach slowly, smiling like a fool the whole time. "...for about two years, he worked for..." Before he can finish, Coby socks him square in the jaw, silencing him.

"Hnnn...alright, now you're gonna get a beating!" Without another word, Luffy begins to give Coby a beating that goes on for at least minute before Zoro and Run call for him to stop.

"That's enough! You made your point!" call the two in unison. Luffy stops, and lets the kid collasp onto the floor.

"Obviously, you aren't a member of their crew," calls the marine commander. "Leave...!"


	2. Buggy Pirates: He's Real?

And so, they said their goodbye's to the village, and were seen off with a salute from the Coby and the marines...it was the first time any of the three had heard about something like that. The three are scattered about their small boat, watching the clouds pass over-head as they sail on to parts unknown. With no objective other than 'locate a navigator' it is rather difficult for them to set a heading...literally as none of them possess the skills to actually navigate their small boat.

"Hey, Red," calls Zoro from his position across from Run. Both are reclined against the edge of the boat, relaxing and napping whenever the mood strikes them. Nothing has been said between the two since they'd left the navy island behind.

"Yeah, Zoro?" answers Run, not minding his new nickname in the slightest.

"Earlier, you deflected the bullets those marines fired, right?"

"Yeah."

"And, then you cut through Morgan's axe, without much trouble. So, then, you're a pretty skilled swordsman."

"When I have to be." Zoro seems a little confused by his response but doesn't seem to pay much mind to it otherwise. Silence falls between the two again and eventually, Run heaves a sigh. The red-head reaches towards a small crate next to him, opens it up and pulls out a bottle Zoro immediately recognizes as containing rum. "If there is one thing I learned from my father it's that it doesn't matter where you're going, or what you're doing, you always need a few crates of booze. Drink, Zoro?"

"Heh. Hell, yeah, Red." Run tosses a bottle to him, and then pulls out another bottle. "Luffy! Come join us for a drink!" Luffy, who had been goofing around on the figure-head, grins and slides down to join them.

"We need to properly celebrate the joining of a new crew mate, right?"

"Aaah, I'd prefer something to eat instead," Luffy tells them, watching them open the bottles of rum and tilt them back to drink deep without hesitation.

"Didn't we just get finished eating?"

"I can't help it! I'm hungry again!" He tilts his head back to look at the sky and blinks. "Huh? A bird!" Both Zoro and Run look skyward as well. "I bet I can catch it!" Without waiting for either to reply he cocks back with a huge grin. "Gum Gum...Rocket!" Luffy rockets skyward towards the bird and both members of his crew sigh. Several long moments pass before they hear a voice...from above. "Heeeey! Help! It's got me!" Both look up quickly to see the bird clutching their Captain in it's beak, and quickly flying away!

"Oh, hell, no!" exclaim the two in unison, dropping their bottles and quickly picking up the paddles.

"Row, Zoro, row!" bellows Run, sitting beside the swordsman and rowing frantically.

"I'm rowing as fast as I can, damn it!" growls Zoro. "That damn bird is fast!"

"Hey! You! Stop!" Both look back at a trio of men floating about in the sea in front of them.

"Really? Someone ship-wrecked at a time like this?"

"Friggin' jump in on your own, because we ain't slowin' down!" growls Run, continuing his rowing. Sure enough, the men somehow manage to cling to, and then haul themselves into the boat. "Wow, they actually managed to get on-board." Without warning, one of the men pulls a cutless on them, demanding they stop the boat because it now belongs to them, members of Buggy the Clown's pirate crew.

"Huh?!" growl the two in unison...

* * *

Covered in bruises and bumps, the three men do their best not to piss off the two men glaring at them. Run sits on the edge of the boat, resting the cutless he's taken from them on his left shoulder as they row quickly. "Don't slow down," Zoro tells them simply. "Thanks to you idiots I've lost sight of my friend. So keep paddling."

"Luffy is pretty resourceful," Run remarks calmly. "As long as the bird spits him out on dry land he'll figure out some way to find us." Run taps the back of the cutless against his shoulder as he stares at the three. "Hey...you said that your Captain's name was Buggy, right?"

"Y-Yeah, he's the man who's in charge around here," retorts one of the pirates. "He's a terrifying person that's eaten-"

"A Devil Fruit," finishes Run calmly. "He's got a big red nose, right? Hate's talking about, and get's really upset when someone mentions it?" The trio of men stare, jaws almost dragging the deck. "I'll take that as a yes." Run scratches his chin, a smirk appearing on his face as he mumbles, "I can't believe I'd run into someone from the old man's stories. A person with a real nose like a clowns...I thought for sure that he was just messing with me."

"You know this Buggy guy, Red?" Zoro questions him.

"Aah, not exactly. I've heard about him but I've never met him in person. This should be interesting to say the least..."

* * *

To the eyes of Zoro and Run, the town was completely abandoned, as if every resident had decided at the same time to just up and move away...which when the two considered the presence of the Buggy Pirates probably was exactly what happened. Common folk just wanted to be left alone, and not get involved in the violence, after all. "We should split up, we'll cover a lot more ground that way," Zoro tells him, receiving a nod in agreement.

"Right, we'll meet back up here at sunset with or without Luffy," adds Run, receiving a nod from Zoro in turn. Before either of them can begin their search, however, a huge explosion rocks the whole island, bowling down a whole block of buildings without warning. "What in the hell...?"

"What was that explosion?"

"One of Captain Buggy's Buggy Balls," replies one of the three pirates nervously.

"Buggy Ball?" Zoro digests this for a moment before glancing over at Run. "Think maybe Buggy has some idea of where Luffy might be, Red?" The red-head nods in agreement, a smirk appearing on his face as he does so, and the two begin walking in the direction that the explosion came from. Thankfully, it's easy to spot due to it's height, and the fact that the roof is occupied by a large tent. The closer they get the most noise they can hear, too. A who group of people chanting, 'Fire!', again and again without end.

It becomes clear to the two that another 'Buggy Ball' must have been loaded, so they move a bit quicker in an attempt to avoid getting caught in a potential blast. They reach a set of stairs leading to the roof, just as the sound of fighting picks up over-head. They take the stairs, two at a time, and reach the roof in time to see an orange haired girl smothering the fuse of a cannon aimed at their Captain. Her agonized scream is like nails on a chalk-board, but she doesn't relent in her attempt to smother the spark.

She's oblivious to the pirates closing in rapidly behind her. "Behind you!" exclaims Luffy, attempting to warn her of the danger. She looks back at the pirates closing in and shuts her eyes tightly in preperation for their attacks, not expecting to survive it...and when it doesn't come she opens one eye slightly to find a man standing between her and the pirates. Run stands in front of Luffy's cage, slightly shaking his head as he stares at his oldest friend.

"All of you really plan to attack a woman from behind?" Zoro asks them, watching them drop.

" **ZORO! RUN!** " bellows Luffy happily grinning like fool as he stares at his friends, and crewmates. "Boy, I sure am glad to see you guys! Lend me a hand and let me outta here, huh, Run?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll have ya out in a sec," Run replies approaching a bit closer. "I'm pretty sure you've got one hell of a story to tell me about how you ended up here."

"Three swords...you must be Zoro," remarks Buggy, gazing at the swordsman intently. "Why are you here? You come for my head?"

"Not really," Zoro tells him. "I gave up hunting pirates. I'm not interested in you at all."

"Oh! But I'm interested in you! Killing you will certainly be good for my reputation!" Zoro glances briefly back at Run, busy attempting to free Luffy from his cage. As long as he was trying to free their Captain, he could focus on the fight this guy seemed so intent on instigating. The fight is quick, and it appears to be a decisive victory in Zoro's favor when he lops their Captain into a few pieces in the blink of an eye. It isn't until the crowd stops cheering that Run pauses in his attempt to free his friend.

He glances back at the two and his eyes widen. " **ZORO! BEHIND YOU, HE'S-** " before Run can finish, Zoro is stabbed through the side by Buggy.

" **ZORO!** " exclaim Luffy and Run in unison.

Buggy breaks out into laughter while Zoro drops to his knees from the strike. "You think that something like that would kill me?" Buggy asks him, slowly reassembling himself as if he'd never been cut in the first place. "No! I'm a Chop-Chop person who can't be cut!" He pauses in his celebration to look back at Luffy and Run. "That's one down, and one to..." He focuses intently on the red-head, eyes narrowing as he stares at him. "You, Red hair. You know, you look like someone...that I absolutely CANNOT stand!"

"Aah, sorry, I guess," remarks Run, smirking slightly.

"Are you...no...never mind, it doesn't really matter. All four of you are going to die here anyway!"

"I don't think so, big nose!" retorts Luffy, sticking his tongue out at the man. His retaliation is immediate, as he launches a knife at Luffy. Run can't react in time to block or deflect it and for a moment he's almost sure he's allowed his closest friend to die...at least until Luffy bursts out laughing around the knife caught in his teeth. "I'm gonna kick your ass, ya know!" He snaps the blade in half and continues his grinning while staring at Zoro, who seems to understand exactly what is going to happen next. "Hey, Zoro... **NOW**!" Buggy whirls around quickly, expecting an attack that never comes.

"H-Huh?" grunts Buggy, before being stuck in the back by Run's foot and tumbling forward towards his men. Zoro jumps the human missile and runs in their direction while Run dashes towards the cannon, getting under it and straining his whole body to flip it back on them. Buggy leans up, absolutely irate and his jaw almost hits the floor when he finds himself staring down the barrel of his own cannon. "Crap! It's still got a Buggy Ball in it!"

"Buh-bye, Buggy," calls Run, going so far as to wave as the girl lights the fuse on the cannon.

The explosion chips away part of the building, and scatters everyone and everything. "Did that...do it?" the girl asks, observing the blown away Buggy and crew.

"Doubt it." Run balls his hands into fists as he stares past the cannon at the damage. "Luffy...let's get you outta that cage and chase after him. Since that guy has eaten a Devil Fruit I seriously doubt something like that killed him...we should end this before they regroup and come after us, ya know."

"Zoro needs to heal first," Luffy tells him, and Run mentally kicks himself for forgetting the newest addition to the crew.

"Crap, I forgot it's not just the two of us anymore. Zoro, I'm sorry." The Swordsman doesn't pay him much mind at least until Run turns towards Luffy's cage. He fully intends to carry it but before he can even lay a single hand on it, Zoro has grabbed it and lifted up onto his back. "U-Uh, Zoro, you should-"

"Back off, Red!" growls Zoro, staring at him. "I'll handle this...my way!"

"Suit yourself..."

* * *

Zoro drags the cage, pulling it through the deserted streets and leaving behind a trail of blood as he does so. Run walks behind him, always within arms reach of the wounded swordsman, just in case he loses consciousness. Sure enough, when Zoro has pulled the cage up to what looks like the front of a pet supply shop he pitches forward. If not for Run, he'd have taken a face plant but instead the red-head catches the swordsman with a heavy sigh. "You feel better now?" Run questions him, shouldering his weight and walking him towards the front of the store.

"Shut-up, Red," retorts Zoro, smirking as he's lowered to a sitting position on the porch.

"Huh? Hey, its a doggie!" exclaims Luffy, attracting the attention of the two to a small cream colored pooch sitting in front of his cage. Before either of them can tell him not to bother it, he's stretched out and poked it in the middle of it's forehead...which results in it latching into his face in response. "Aaah! It's biting me!" Luffy struggles, screaming and yelling as he attempts to pull the dog off, and when he finally succeeds the irritable mutt returns to his guard position in front of the store.

"Did you learn a lesson?" Run asks Luffy, receiving a glare in response.

"Hey!" calls a voice now familiar to the three, and they watch the approach of the woman from before. "If you three make that much noise, then it defeats the purpose of running away doesn't it?"

"Yo! Navigator!" offers Luffy in way of greeting. "Did you come to help us?"

"Hah, not even! I just came to repay you with this." She finishes her sentence by tossing a key onto the ground in front of Luffy's cage. "I don't want to end up owing you pirates anything."

"That certainly makes things easier, Miss Navigator," remarks Run, approaching the cage. "I honestly had half a mind to ask you for a bobby pin for the lock. Actually, I don't even know your name." She introduces herself as Nami while Luffy reaches out for the key...and comes back empty-handed when the dog snags it up and summarily swallows it. Everyone stares for several long moments in wide-eyed silence. "Did that...really just happen?"

" **Aaaaahhh! NO! SPIT IT OUT! SPIT IT OOOUUUTTT!** " bellows Luffy, picking the dog up and shaking it violently.

"Hey! You kids quit bothering Chouchou!" demands a male voice, any old man approaching quickly.

"Who are you exactly?" Zoro questions him, glaring at the armor-clad old man despite the fact that he's half-dead from blood-loss.

"I'm the Mayor of this town, Boodle. Oh. Oh, you're certainly in bad shape."

"Don't suppose you have a place we can put him up to rest, do you, sir?" Run asks the man.

"Hm, come with me. He can rest at my house."

After getting Zoro to the man's home, and into a bed because he insisted that he would just 'sleep it off' the old man, Boodle, sat them down and told them a story about the dog, Chouchou and his owner. By the end of it, everyone was looking at the small dog sadly. A lonely vigil, dutifully obeying his masters last request without regard for anything else...true loyalty in a world so lacking in it. When he has finished his story, Run approaches the small dog and reaches down to pat it on the head.

"You're a good boy, Chouchou," Run mutters, scratching the dog behind his ears.

"That's so sad," mutters Nami softly. A loud roar pierces the air, and rattles the walls of the store in front of them. "What was that?!"

"It's Beast Tamer Mohji! Run!" exclaims Boodle, running away with Nami hot on his heels and leaving Luffy and Run behind.

"Where are they running off to?" Luffy wonders, holding the bars of his cage and watching them disappear into the distance. Run offers a shrug in response, unsure himself. "Who do you think that guy the mayor was talking about is?" Again he receives a shrug of the shoulders in response. Hearing a loud thumping approaching from behind, the two look back to find an absolutely huge lion walking towards them with a strange looking back riding on it's head.

"Well, look what I've found," remarks the strange man, sliding from the top of the lions head.

"What's with the weird looking hat?" Luffy questions the man.

"This is not a hat! It's my natural hair!" Both give the man a somewhat skeptical look but decide not to comment further. "I am the great Beast Tamer Mohji! Allow me to demonstrate my abilities!" He approaches Chouchou without a second thought and holds a hand out in the dogs face. "Now, shake." From his confidence, both almost expected the small dog to comply...but weren't all that surprised when instead he clamped onto the man's hand. It took a bit of doing to get him to release but when he did the man acted as if nothing happened...while Luffy and Run were snickering.

"Hmph. Now...tell me where I can find Roronoa Zoro."

"Don't wanna," retorts Luffy, sounding like a petulant child.

"Wha...? Fine! Kill him Richie!" Before Run can react, a powerful swipe of the lions claws clip the cage, inadvertently freeing Luffy and sending him sailing into the distance. Run ducks the rubber missile and glances back briefly before looking at Mohji and Richie. "One down...two to go."

"I wouldn't count Luffy out just yet," Run tells the man, smirking. "Still...saved me the trouble of breaking him out myself. Guess that house cat of yours has some uses-" Run's world is spinning the next moment, pain searing through his left side as he tumbles through the air before crashing into the wall of a near-by house. Luckily his fall from there is broken by a number of wonderfully soft wooden boxes that shatter under the impact. Run lies in the pile of debris, half-conscience and aching from head to toe after his little flight through the air.

He's slowly slipping further and further towards unconsciousness but even so he can still register a voice on the edge of his hearing, though it's dulled and muted, it cries just before he passes out, "Two down! One more to go! Good job, Richie..."

Smoke and noise...that is what calls the red-head back to the waking world. Run's eyes slowly open, and he finds himself staring up at the face of his long time friend. "Yo, Run," offers Luffy in greeting, smiling down at him from atop a small crate. "This is kind of a weird spot to take a nap don't you think? What happened?"

"...Cheap shot," mutters Run, slowly beginning to sit up.

"Huh?"

"That lion hit me with a cheap shot."

"Hm, is that right? Well, you look like you're fine...did you see which way it went?" Run responds with a shake of his head, and slowly begins to stand, bracing himself against the wall as he does so. He notices the flames leaping wildly from the remains of the pet-shop that Chouchou was guarding, and immediately surmises that the lion and his tamer were the cause of it. "Well, I guess I'll go look for him then. Wait here until I come back, huh?"

"Huh...where am I gonna go, Cap'n?" Luffy turns, drops down from the box and begins walking down the street calmly. It takes a bit longer than Run would like to admit for his strength to return, and when it finally does it's around the same time that Nami and the Mayor are returning. The red-head tosses aside a few boxes, pointedly ignoring Nami's ranting as he approaches Chouchou. Without a word he sits at the dogs side, and reaches down to place a hand on it's head.

"Sorry, Chouchou," mutters Run, rubbing the dogs head. "I just..." He trails off, ashamed of the current state of things. The dog had become involved in this battle simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and because of it he'd lost something dear to him. It isn't long before Luffy returns, and Nami's ranting begins again. She curses them for being pirates, even threatening to kill Luffy, but it falls on deaf ears as he approaches the dog and his long time friend.

"Here," Luffy says to Chouchou. "It's all I could get back. The lion ate everything else." Luffy sits down on the opposite side of Chouchou. The three are silent for several long minutes before Chouchou finally picks the box up in his mouth, and begins walking away. Hearing his barking seconds later both look over at the dog, smiling broadly as they do. "Yeah! Good luck to you, too!" Chouchou gathers his food, and disappears into the two without another sound.

"Luffy?"

"Huh?"

"Sorry for losing."

"Don't worry about something like that, you've won plenty of other fights in the past." Run chuckles a bit in response.

"Even so...I really wanna kick this guy's ass now, Luffy." The two stand moments later, a grin on both of their faces.

"Damn it," exclaims the Mayor, attracting their attention. "These young'un's and even Chouchou are fighting so hard, and yet I'm just standing idly by...I need to fight as well! I can't just continue to be idle! This town was built by us, after all, we can't just let them domineer over it anymore!" The Mayor told them a story, the story of the town and how it was built up only by the hard work of all the people who lived here.

"Easy, old timer," Run tells him, earning his attention. "Maybe it isn't my place to boast after being beaten so easily but...we'll take care of this."

"Just leave it to us!" yells Luffy, grinning like a fool. No sooner has he finished his sentence than a loud explosion cracks through the air, and a Buggy Ball annihilates another string of houses right in front of them. "Whoa!" When the smoke clears all three stare at the destruction in silence for several long moments before realizing exactly which building was destroyed. "Oh, crap! Zoro was sleeping in there!"

"There's no way," Boodle mutters. "That young'un is..."

"Still alive in there, Zoro?" calls Run.

"Aaah, yeah," groans a familiar voice from the rubble. "I'm still here. But what a shitty way to wake a guy up!" Zoro leans up slowly, looking tired but otherwise unharmed and earning a laugh from his two crew-mates.

"H...How are you still alive?" Nami asks, more to herself than anyone else. Run approaches the swordsman, offering a hand to help him to his feet.

"Things must have been pretty interesting while I was out, huh?" The red-head offers a shrug of his shoulders in response. Hearing shouting the two look back in time to see the Mayor disappearing into the distance, spear in hand as he runs towards the direction of the cannon fire. "Looks like things are only going to get more exciting from here on."

"Looks like," agrees Run, as the two approach Luffy.

"Don't you three think you should take this more seriously?!" shouts Nami.

"Relax," Luffy tells her. "We're not gonna let anything else happen to this town or the old man. I promise." He looks at Zoro and Run with a grin. "Right?"

"If it's the Captain's orders," agree the two in unison. Luffy turns towards Nami, adopting a somewhat serious look on his face.

"Listen, our destination is the Grand Line...so we're going to steal back that map from Buggy, Nami. We'll be counting on your help when we've got it back. So, join our crew, huh?" He holds his hand out in offer, only for her to knock it away casually.

"I'll never be a pirate," Nami says simply. "But...I don't mind a partnership so long as it's beneficial for us both..."

They follow after the mayor, Boodle, in the direction that the cannon fire had come from. It wasn't exceptionally difficult to do considering all that they really needed to do was follow the path of destruction. The closer the louder things some to become and when they've finally caught up to the mayor it's to find him held aloft by the disconnected hand of Buggy. "Oi, Cap'n," speaks Run calmly. "You don't mind if I fight Buggy, do you? I know that you already claimed him but..."

"Hm? Aah, sure, go ahead," Luffy tells his friend, watching him move quickly. He free's the mayor from Buggy's grasp easily, squeezing the disembodied hand painfully tight if the look on the man's face is any indication. He glares down at the red-head regardless of his pain, though.

"You again, Red-hair," growls Buggy.

"Yeah, me again," agrees Run, supporting the mayor by the front of his armor with a single arm. "You ok, old man?" He casually tosses Buggy's hand back to him.

"You young'un's again," mutters the Mayor, reaching up to grip Run's arm. "Why can't you just stay out of this? This is my fight for the future of the town! It doesn't concern you!" A low growl escapes the red-head who turns and throws him into the wall much to the amazement of everyone present. Boodle strikes the wall hard, losing consciousness immediately, and then drops to the ground.

"W-What are you doing?!" demands Nami, staring at the limp body of the mayor. "Why did you attack him?!"

"He'd have gotten in the way, and then he would have ended up dead," Run tells her simply. "I know you hate pirates, Miss Navigator. Even if you hadn't been so vocal about it earlier it was pretty easy to tell that from your body language. I suspect that you have your reasons but..." He glances back at her and grins a bit. "...not all pirates are completely bad, ya know." He turns back to look pointedly at Buggy. "Big nose here on the other hand..."

"B-Big Nose?!" echos Buggy, eye twitching in anger. "You bastard! I'll turn you into dust! Fire! Fire the Buggy Ball!" Everyone but Luffy and Run scatters quickly, trying to find a place to hide from the Buggy Ball that is going to be coming their way.

"That's not gonna work on us," Luffy tells them, grinning. "Gum-Gum...Balloon!" The cannon fires, and the ball strikes the rapidly swelling Luffy in the stomach only to be launched back seconds later. The building is destroyed and the pirates scattered by the explosion. Nami is beside herself with confusion, questioning Luffy again and again about how he did it and whether or not he's a Human...his only reply is to stretch his cheeks out with a grin. "I'm a Rubber Person, see?"

"How dare you," calls Buggy, attracting the attention of everyone present as he steps free of the rubble, clutching two of his crew in front of him as a shield.

"That's awfully cold," remarks Nami, watching him drop the two to the earth. The beast tamer Mohji pops up from the rubble next, quickly recognizing Luffy and informing his Captain of the man's Devil Fruit powers. A third man, identified as Cabiji by Buggy, emerges from the rubble, having used Richie as a shield from the blast...which instantly pisses his master off. Mohji makes an attempt to attack the man, only to be launched at the four gathered like a human missile.

"Coming through!" exclaims Mohji, sailing towards Run. " **MOVE!** " Run turns his shoulder and the man is sure that he's going to pass by harmlessly...only to have his hopes dashed when the red-head drives an elbow into the middle of his back and makes him strike the pavement hard enough to bounce. A casual kick to the side sends him crashing through the wall of a near by building.

"Th-That strength," Nami mutters.

"He's not the fastest there is," remarks Luffy, grinning broadly. "And he can be a little too serious at times but...ya know, I haven't fought someone who's physically stronger than Run, yet. Still, I've always won our fights, right, Run?"

"Right, Cap'n," agrees Run, seeing no shame in admitting his previous defeats at the hands of Luffy in their many sparring sessions. The man Cabaji streaks towards the group on his unicycle, intent on skewering Luffy it seems. Zoro intercepts the man before he can, however. "Zoro!"

"Zoro, you really should take it easy."

"Shut-up," Zoro tells him simply. "If this guy wants to cross blades that badly, than I'll take him on myself." Zoro glances briefly at Run, grinning wildly. "I don't know why you're looking at me, Red. Didn't you tell our Captain that you were going to take on Buggy? Don't tell me ya got cold feet." The red-head smirks and turns to face Buggy who is positively pissed.

"You damned red-head," growls Buggy. "Every time I look at you...I'm reminded of that other red-haired bastard from all those years ago."

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that you're referring to my father, Shanks." Buggy's eyes go wide as saucers at the mention of that name.

"So, you are related to him. No wonder you remind me of that bastard, then."

"I'm also gonna guess that you and my old man didn't get along well," Run remarks off-handedly. "That's...actually a little odd, honestly. I thought dad could get along with anyone." Buggy's face is split from ear to ear by a huge grin which makes Run arch a brow in response. "Somethin' on your mind?"

"This...This is absolutely perfect. I fully intended to kill Shanks when next we met, but first I'm going to start by killing _you_ , his son. I am going to wipe that man and his family off of the face of this earth!"

"I welcome you to try." Hearing yelling behind him, Run briefly glances back to see the prone body of Cabaji, and Zoro standing over the man. Another thing he noticed was that Nami was no longer anywhere to be found. "Looks like you're all that's left." Run cracks his knuckles loudly as he stares at the man. "Let's go, Buggy." The man produces a number of knives, held between the fingers of his hands and even one from the toe of either shoe. He barely has time to consider this before he separates his torso from his legs and launches them at him.

Run dodges with ease, and takes the opportunity to close the distance between them. Being bare-handed he is at a severe disadvantage if he cannot get within striking distance. "Charging in? You're awfully eager to die, aren't you?!" He covers the distance quicker than expected, left arm cocked back to deal a powerful blow as he launches himself up into the air. "Chop-Chop Quick Escape!" His head detaches from his body, and Run passes by, sliding to a stop behind the pirate captain.

"Don't tell me you thought that I was gonna punch you, Buggy?" His eyes widen as the red-head turns on his heel, steps in and jams his elbow, shoulder and palm into the middle of his back. "Sea King's Roar!" The impact hits the unprepared Buggy like a ton of bricks, and sends him him skidding across the pavement several meters away before he finally stops and begins slowly standing. "The old man told me plenty of stories about you, and even if he hadn't after watching Zoro fight you I know that I can't cut you...but I sure can beat you to a pulp, can't I?"

"You're just as cocky as that bastard, too."

"Thank you very much." Buggy wheels around, pointing his fist at the red-head and growling loudly.

"Chop-Chop Cannon!" He fires off his hand at Run, blades intended to skewer the man who reaches out and catches his fist. "Separate!" It broke apart in his hand, nearly taking his face off before he was able to dodge. Several thin cuts appear on his face, including a tiny one over his right eye which begins to bleed profusely and forces him to shut his eye. Buggy bursts into laughter as his hand returns to his wrist. "That was close!"

"Hmm...ya know, I've been wondering something."

"What's that?"

"My father...why do you want to kill him so badly? He's told me stories about you but never mentioned that he wanted to kill you." He pauses to reach up and wipe some blood from his face. "I'm starting to get the feeling that maybe this rivalry is kinda one-sided on your part."

"That man...I'll never forgive that man! He took everything from me!" Buggy tells Run the whole story of how exactly his father 'stole' everything from him. From time as pirates on the same crew, to the treasure map and Shanks making him accidentally eat the Devil Fruit to saving his life when he fell into the sea. When he's finished Run his staring at him blankly. "So now you know why I have to kill him..."

"...Because he saved your life?" asks Luffy, confused.

"It kinda sounds like you owe him one," agrees Run, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck.

"That's not what I'm saying!" Buggy bellows. "That bastard stripped everything from me and then just disappeared like nothing happened!"

"I don't see how. You're still alive, aren't you? You're captain of your own ship, even." Run crosses his arms as he stares at the man. "My father never did a thing to you, Buggy. After hearing your side of the story it sounds to me like you're just looking for someone to blame. You ate the Chop-Chop Fruit because you were being greedy, and trying to hide it from the rest of the crew."

"I never would have eaten it if not for that man! So, I won't forgive him! That man delayed everything I was planning to do! But...I've decided that if I can't pursue the treasure underwater than I'll just collect everything this world has of value on land!" His torso slowly rises from his legs. "So that's why...I won't forgive anyone who touches my treasure!" He sails over-head, and Run follows him in the direction of Nami who is carrying a large sack. "Let go of my treasure, Nami!"

He raises his blades, drawing closer and closer to Nami only to be stuck in the cheek by Run's knee. "Sea King's Rush!" He slams into the wall of a near by building hard enough to crack it. "Oi, oi...don't go turning your back on me, Buggy. This fight is between us, after all." The red-head looks over briefly at Nami. "You alright?"

"I'll live. Thanks for that, Run," Nami tells him, receiving a nod in return.

"You think I'll give my treasure to YOU? Who do you think you are, stealing my treasure?!" Buggy bellows loudly. Nami immediately tells him that she isn't in the mood to be lectured by a pirate for stealing from a pirate. "You think I'll let you steal from me? No...No, I'll kill you first, Nami!" He splits his body into even more pieces, all of which seemed intent on getting to Nami. Run watches the pieces, somewhat impressed with his persistence...and also thoroughly pissed that his opponent is ignoring him. Noticing Buggy's feet walking towards the parts, the red-head grins evilly before stomping rather violently on the toes of either foot.

This pain immediately makes him open for Nami, who strikes him with the treasure bag. "Heheh...thanks for my treasure back, Nami!" Seeing that Nami hasn't let go he growls loudly, aiming two of his knives at the girl. "I said, 'thanks' now let go!"

"Sea King's Rush!" exclaims Run, striking Buggy in the back of the head with his knee and tossing him through the treasure bag. "I said, this fight is between us, Buggy! Stop looking away!"

"Damn you...damn you, Red! I'm gonna kill you first!" His parts begin to float, and then reassemble...only to reassemble into nothing but a head on arms and legs. "What the...?"

"Looking for these?" Nami questions him, tightening the knot on the rope holding his parts together.

"Looks like this is the end, Buggy," mutters Run, looking at the small captain with a grin. "Now...see ya round!" He surges forward, and kicks the tiny captain like a kick ball, sending him sailing into the distance...


	3. Usopp and A Mysterious Meeting

"You know...that's the second town we've been run out of now," Run mutters, staring at the azure sky over-head. Their small boat rocks gently with the waves, as they sail onto parts unknown...which would normally be cause for concern but with Nami, their new navigator leading the way, he doesn't feel any at all. Speaking of, as far as Run can tell, she's still a little miffed with Luffy for leaving behind half their treasure haul for the towns people. The red-head reclines against the edge of the ship, elbows draped over the edge.

"It can't be helped, Red," Zoro tells him, fingers threaded behind his head as he reclines against the side of their boat. "We're pirates, after all."

"Alright," calls Nami, attraction the attention of the three. "The way things are right now, there's no way that we should even _think_ about heading for the Grand Line. We need supplies, and we _definitely_ need a proper ship if we're gonna have ANY chance of making it there."

"Aah...yeah, I guess you're right," agrees Luffy. "We definitely need some good food before we go there! Oh! And a cook, too!"

"And some booze," adds Zoro. "Red and I drank what was left."

"If we're getting a new ship, than we definitely need a shipwright, too," Run tells them. "And while we're at it, more crew members."

"Yeah, let's add a musician!" Luffy chirps happily, earning a round of laughter from his two male crew mates, and a insult from Nami. Their navigator informs them that an island is a bit south of them would be a good place to stop to resupply, and attempt to find a proper pirate ship. Naturally, they're on board. So, several hours later they come ashore on a deserted beach. Every one of them is glad to stretch their legs after sailing for a few days.

"So, this is the place?" Run asks her, stretching as he stares ahead at a slope leading off the beach.

"Yeah, apparently, there's a small town here on this island," Nami tells them all, looking briefly at the map. "But it's supposed to be really small." It wasn't a surprise to any of them that the first thing Luffy thought of was finding a place to fill his stomach. But that was put on hold when Zoro informed them that he sensed the presence of others on the beach, and as if on cue a man with a long nose made his appearance on the cliffs over-looking the beach.

"I am Usopp, leader of the pirates who reign over this village!" begins Usopp in way of introduction, making Luffy and Run grin in response. "I've got eighty million subordinates at my disposal, so you pirates had best leave!"

"Eighty million?" echos Nami. "You sure? Are you sure it's not more like...three?" Three boys immediately pop up from the bushes behind the man, and take off at a sprint away from the beach. Luffy, Zoro and Run all break out into laughter while Usopp begins sweating bullets.

"You really remind me of your dad, Yasopp!" Luffy tells him, grinning.

"You know my dad?" Usopp asks them, grinning as well.

"Yeah, he's sailing with Run's dad, Shanks!" Run raises a hand and waves at him.

"E-Eh?! Your dad is the great pirate, Red-Haired Shanks?!" Usopp loses his balance the next moment, and tumbles down the cliff to the beach. Though, he doesn't seem to be any worse for wear as he immediately jumps to his feet and approaches grinning happily. He leads them into town, to a small bar where he bombards Luffy and Run with all kinds of questions about his father. How he's doing, and how strong has he become. He also shows an interest in Run, for being the son of a 'great pirate' as he put it. Usopp was eager to know all he could about the man and it was difficult for the red-head to answer the questions unbiased. No matter how hard he tried, he could never quite look upon at his father and his crew with the same reverance as some of the other pirate crews.

To Run, he was a goof-ball, a booze-hound, a notorious womanizer, and above all else, a good father before he was 'Red-Haired' Shanks...but even so, he was still very much aware of his strength. The same strength that had achieved him renown as a Yonko, one of the single most powerful pirates in the whole world...and it was _that_ strength that he had to surpass. Something Shanks had not only been happy to hear but encouraged him to do when they parted ways all those years ago. When Usopp finally stopped asking about his father, they took that chance to ask him if there was somewhere or someone that they could get a proper ship from.

"A ship, huh?" mutters Usopp. "Well, unfortunately, this village is pretty small so there isn't anything like that here."

"What about that mansion?" Zoro asks him. "I noticed it up on the hill on the way here."

"Do you know those people? Do you think you could ask them for a favor?" Nami begs him.

"No!" exclaims Usopp. "You absolutely cannot go there!" All four of them stare at the man in surprise, who immediately excuses himself, claiming he has something to do before running out the door quickly. They four thought it was strange, but otherwise didn't really give it much mind. instead, they continued eating and drinking, enjoying this down time after their previous troubles with Buggy and his crew. This time was cut short when the doors to the bar burst open and their table was stormed by three children, all three of which demanded the location of their 'Captain' Usopp.

"Usopp?" echos Zoro, grinning evilly as he stares at the children. "If you're looking for Usopp, then I'm afraid you're gonna be disappointed because...we already ate him!" The three kids turn as white as ghosts, faces losing their color as they panic, much to the amusement of Luffy and Run as well. After getting an ear full from Nami for being 'childish' they tell the children that he ran off, and they inform him that he went to visit the mansion, and a girl named Kaya. So, naturally, they decided that they would go and visit the girl with Usopp.

"I'll pay the bill and catch up with you guys," Run tells them. Luffy, Nami and Zoro follow the kids out of the bar while he approaches the old man at the counter. "Hey, old timer." He isn't surprised when the bill for their meal is rather huge considering Luffy's, Zoro's and his own appetite so he almost empties out his wallet to pay the bill. "These two are gonna break me." He turns on his heel, and begins to walk out when a woman stands from her table, running right into him and nearly causing him to knock her over before he can catch her.

"Sorry about that," the dark haired woman tells him, smiling from under the hood of her cloak. She's tall...very tall. He's worried that he might lifting her up by accident but a quick glance down shows both feet firmly on the ground. In fact, she's the first woman he's ever met that can meet his eyes without looking up, and honestly, it's kind of attractive to the red-head...and familiar, too. He'd only gotten a small glance under her hood but he's certain he's either meet, or seen her somewhere before.

"No problem." He releases the woman, suddenly aware that he's held her a bit too long, and again she favors him with a smile before placing a few bills on the table and walking out the door. "She was...pretty. And pretty good, too." He pats his back pocket and smirks slightly. "She almost took my wallet without me noticing." The red-head leaves the restuarant, and glances in the direction on the mansion on the hill, and then in the opposite direction. It's the same way the woman departed in. "Haah...sorry, cap'n, but I'll have to catch up later..."

* * *

The woman isn't difficult to locate, she's the only person on the island wearing a cloak in the beautiful weather, after all. Run follows her at a distance, curiosity keeping him simply calling her out and demanding the return of his stolen wallet. She doesn't seem to be someone from the island which only serves to further feed his curiosity. Why would someone come to such a small island simply to pick a few pockets? So, Run continues tailing the woman, her pace slow, almost a stroll, actually.

He's sure she knows she's being followed, after all, he hasn't exactly been trying to be subtle about it. She takes a road leading out of the village, continuing her slow stroll as if she hasn't a care in the world. Then, almost as soon as the village is completely out of sight behind them, the woman suddenly turns off the road, and disappears into the forest. "Running away, huh?" mutters Run, turning into the forest and following quickly. He moves at a sprint, trying to keep up with the woman between dodging trees and brush. "She's pretty fast."

The woman is quick on her feet, and seems to know exactly have to give someone the slip...although, oddly enough, she doesn't seem to be interested in doing that. True, she stays a step ahead of the red-head somehow, but she doesn't completely leave his sight, allowing him to continue the chase. The trees begin to thin, the brush begins to clear, and light sunlight shines brightly ahead of them. The end of the forest...she's led him quite far from the village. Through an entire forest, it , the woman seems to turn up her speed, disappearing quickly from sight.

Run doubles his speed, moving at a dead sprint in an attempt to catch up with the woman before she completely gives him the slip. He breaks free of the tree line, and barrels right towards the edge of a cliff. " **OH, SHIT!** " He tries to stop, getta scraping across dirt and grass, but it won't be enough. He's gonna go over! The red-head reaches the edge, pitches forward and suddenly comes to a complete stop hanging over the edge at a ninety-degree angle. He stares down at jagged rocks, worn sharp, and smooth by the constant battering of the ocean tide. A pair of hands tightly grip his shoulders, keeping him from falling, but making no move to pull him out of harms way.

"That was awfully close," calls a female voice from behind. "Any slower, and you might have ended up a nothing but a bloody stain on the rocks below."

"Seems that way," agrees Run. "Uhh...do you mind?"

"Hm? Oh." He's wrenched back onto solid ground seconds later, and he releases a sigh of relief. He turns back, expecting to find the woman close but instead finding two sets of disembodied arms growing from the earth in front of him. The cloaked woman stands several feet away, arms crossed in front of herself. "It would be a shame if you died before we had a chance to talk."

"That's a pretty neat trick."

"My Devil Fruit affords me a number of 'neat tricks'." The arms disappear, and she uncrosses her own before holding up his wallet for him to see. "I was wondering if you would notice I had taken it. If you hadn't, well...it certainly would have made our meeting all the more difficult." She looks at his wallet for a moment, turning it over in her hands a few times before tossing it back.

"And what if I hadn't noticed?"

"I would have improvised."

"I see. You went through all that trouble to lure me out here to...talk?" He tucks the leather item into his pocket and then crosses his arms. "I could think of a few easier ways of doing that then picking my pocket. 'Hello, my name is'...actually, what _is_ your name exactly, Miss?" She casually brushes back the hood of her cloak to reveal a dark haired young woman. He's twenty but she appears a bit older than he is. She looks to be in her mid to late twenties.

"Nico Robin."

"And what did you want to talk about?"

"You, actually." The red-head arches a brow in response. "I had heard that Buggy the Clown was taken down by Shanks son, Run, in the East Blue. Naturally, I was curious to see the son of the great Yonko 'Red Haired' Shanks." His eyes narrows slightly in response. "You _are_ him, aren't you?"

"I am," Run freely admits. After all, it's just the two of them. "But...don't tell me you really came all the way out here because you were curious?"

"Of course. I had to know the truth."

"How would you have known if I were lying?"

"I'd have known."

"How? What, have we met somewhere before?" She remains silent despite his prodding and he heaves a sigh. "Well, what if I was an imposter? What would you have done then?" A light brush against his back, causes him to look over his shoulder at another set of disembodied arms, ready to grab him by the back of his shirt and throw him to his death. "Hah, you were gonna throw me off the cliff?"

"I wouldn't have suffered a fake making a mockery of that mans name." The way she says it, the way she stares at him...he's overcome again with the strangest feeling that he really has seen or met this woman somewhere before. Run just cannot seem to shake it. He certainly has some questions to ask...but first things first he needs to meet up with the rest of the crew again.

"And now that you have your answer? What do you intend to do?"

"I don't know. I traveled all this way to find out the truth...I think maybe I might take in the sights for a bit." She turns and walks back towards the forest rather calmly, stopping only briefly to look back at him. "Until we meet again, Run..."

* * *

Run walks calmly back towards the small town, a great number of questions swirling rapidly around in his mind. That woman, Nico Robin, had tracked him down just to confirm his identity...she'd tracked him with frightening accuracy and speed, at that. The ease with which it was done disturbs the red-head. Only someone exceptionally well-connected could pull off something like that. She didn't seem to be Navy either, since she hadn't attempted to apprehend him. In fact, she seemed to have every intention of killing him if he were a faker.

But the thing that most bothers Run is the fact that she seems to KNOW both him and his father. She seemed to be absolutely certain that she would recognize him the moment she saw him...granted, his hair is a dead give away, he'd never met anyone else with a hair color like his or his father's. But that could be fixed with a bit of hair-dye. The more he thinks about it the more questions rise, and the more a head-ache begins to form. Run pinches the bridge of his nose gently and heaves a sigh.

Best to just put it all in the back of his mind for now, and just focus on finding the crew, and then a ship. Hearing someone shouting ahead of him, the red-head rounds a small bend and finds himself approaching the exact people he was looking for. "Nami, Zoro!" Run calls, earning their attention.

"It took you this look to pay the bill, Red?" Zoro questions him.

"I got turned around." Zoro doesn't buy his excuse, not even for a second, and it shows clearly on the swordsman's face. Although, he does drop it for the moment which Run is grateful for. The red-head looks from Zoro to Nami and then back. "Where'd Luffy get off to?"

"Probably chasing after these kids 'Captain'." He nods in understanding. The child who was shouting earlier begins shouting again, going on and on about some strange looking 'backwards guy' coming their way and as if one que the person in question appears over the hill, moon-walking in their direction and only stopping when he's in front of them.

"Hey...who are you calling weird?" the man asks them. "I am not weird."

"Guess again," chuckles Run.

"You seem pretty weird," Nami tells him plainly. The man introduces himself as a hypnotist much to the amazement of the children, who quickly forget about him being a 'weird' guy in their excitement. The man appears upset by this...but none the less produces a ring attached to a string and dangles it in front of their eyes.

"Alright, on 'one, two, Jango,' you'll fall asleep," he tells them, beginning to swing it slowly. "One...two...Jango!" All four immediately fall asleep much to the irritation of Zoro and Run. Unsure whether or not they should wake up the man they instead decide to wake the children and leave the man to sleep it off. After all...it wasn't exactly their problem that the man couldn't even stay awake through his own hypnotism. They wander down the path, led by the children who jabber on about this and that with Nami while Zoro and Run several steps walk behind them.

"So, Red, you wanna tell me what really held you up?" Zoro asks him.

"Haah, I don't even...I don't even know where to start, Zoro," Run admits honestly.

"You could start with the person tailing us."

"Her name is Nico Robin. Apparently...she was looking for me." The swordsman arches a brow in response. "Apparently, Buggy has been running his mouth to anyone who will listen. Now, suddenly, the whole world seems to know who I am and who my father is. Which is exactly what I _don't_ want."

"Is she going to be a problem?"

"She shouldn't." He neglects to mention that the woman had every intention of throwing him to his death if he wasn't who he claimed to be. "So, what happened at the masion? Did I miss anything?" Zoro explains the situation to him. How they'd been thrown out by a butler by the name of Klahadore, and they hadn't been able to secure a proper ship. They walk the rest of the way in silence, listening to the children talk with Nami about this or that until their orange haired navigator finally stops and hops up onto a fence rail.

"Our Captain has been gone for so long," complains one of the children.

"Luffy, too," adds Zoro. "They'll be back when they've finished whatever it is they're doing."

"Aah! Captain!" All eyes turn in the direction the kid is pointing to see Usopp sprinting in their direction.

"Speak of the devil."

"Hm? Shouldn't Luffy be with him?" Run asks, leaning back against the fence. He rests his arms on the railing, watching the man approaching at a dead sprint.

"Hey, Usopp, where's Luffy?" Nami asks him, watching as he sprints by. "Wasn't he...?" He disappears into the distance, ignoring them entirely as he continues sprinting. "I wonder what's gotten into him? You don't think he's still mad, do you?"

"Who knows," mutters Zoro, trying to be calm but he can't ignore the feeling in his gut. "Hey, brats, where exactly is this place that Usopp goes to...?"

* * *

The place in question was a huge cliff over-looking the blue sea which seemed to stretch out without end towards the horizon. Run crosses his arms and whistles appreciatively. "Talk about a view," remarks Run. "I can see why he comes here."

"Well, here it is!" exclaims one of the children. "Our Captain comes here all the time." The kids take a quick look around before deciding that Luffy is not here...which is easy for the others to see. Nami approaches the edge of the cliff and kicks a small stone over the edge.

"It doesn't look very stable here," complains Nami, gazing over the edge at the rocks below.

"Hey, careful," Run tells her, watching her carefully just in case. "A fall from here would be pretty bad, ya know." The navigator nods in understanding, and steps back from the edge carefully. Something catches her eye, however, and she locks in on what looks like a body...which she immediately indentifies as being Luffy.

"L-Luffy! It's Luffy!" Everyone runs to the edge, looking down at the rocks where their Captain has fallen.

"Zoro, we're going down there!" To everyone's amazement the two leap straight over the edge, plummeting down to land heavily behind the man looking no worse for wear despite the huge fall. It takes only a few moments for the children and Nami to slide down behind them. "He fell? There's no way he's dead...we jumped and we're fine." Nami and the children go into a state of panic...which isn't even interrupted by a loud snore from the half-buried Captain in front of them.

"Quiet," Zoro tells them, silencing them immediately as another snore fills the air. Run pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration as he stares at his oldest friend. "Son of a bitch..." Zoro jabs him in the ass with the saya of his sword, immediately disturbing Luffy's sleep who pulls himself out of the hole with a loud yawn.

"Aaaah! Morning!" Luffy greets them, smiling.

"How the hell did you end up all the way down here at the bottom of the cliff, Luffy?" Run asks him.

"Ah...aah! That! Well, ya see, I was hypnotized...I think." The red-head sighs a bit in response. "But that doesn't really matter because that butler guy is planning to attack the village with some pirates and kill Kaya." The kids immediately go into a panic and while it is somewhat amusing to Luffy, Zoro and Run it doesn't do anything to help the situation.

"If he's gone to tell the village that's good," Nami finally tells them. "That means that they'll have a chance to run away before the pirates show up." Agreeing with her on the issue, the children quickly took off down the beach, running towards home it would seem.

"What do you think we should do, Luffy?" Run asks him.

"Hmm," grunts Luffy, crossing his arms. "We should definitely go into town and stock up on meat before that guy runs away!" Zoro whacks him in the back of his head with his sword in retaliation, causing him to chuckle a bit. "Well, I guess...we should probably save this town, then."

"If it's the Captain's orders," Zoro replies, all three grinning at the prospect of an impending fight.

"Why are you three so blood-thirsty?!" growls Nami, glaring at the trio. "Don't you know when it's time to run away?! Why do you always have to rush head long into everything...?!"

* * *

The sun had nearly set by the time they caught up with the children, and even Usopp who was walking away from the village. They children called out to him, attracting his attention. Needless to say, he was rather surprised to see Luffy alive and well after his plummet over the edge of the cliff but he just laughed it off. The children questioned him about Klahadore but to their surprise he just laughed, saying that he had made the whole thing up. While the children accepted what he said as the undisputed truth, the others were not so convinced even as he sent the children on home for the night.

They followed the man to the same beach, and when they arrived the sun had set entirely, sinking below the sea and giving way to a star lit night. "Why'd you lie to the kids?" Luffy asks him, looking down at the sitting man. "You seemed pretty sure of yourself earlier."

"Because I'm a liar," Usopp tells him. "Even when I'm telling the truth no one believes me. I tried to tell Kaya the truth but...it didn't go well." Usopp lowers his head shamefully. "This village is going to be attacked tomorrow and there's no one that is gonna believe me. I don't know if I can save this village but...even so, I don't want anyone to get hurt!" Usopp stands up quickly, a look of determination on his face that just doesn't quite reach his knocking knees. "I'll protect this village myself if that's what I have to do!"

"Jeez, that's so sweet that I think I'm gonna get a cavity," complains Zoro, grinning from ear to ear. "You pushed your crew away to confront these pirates on your own even knowing that you don't stand a chance against them just so they wouldn't get hurt...I can respect that kind of courage."

"Hah, now we're definitely gonna help you!" chirps Luffy, cracking his knuckles loudly.

"Our father's go back a long way," Run tells him, smirking a bit. "You need my help? You can always count on it, Usopp."

"Y...You're really gonna help?" Usopp asks them, unsure if he's heard them correctly. "Why?"

"Cause you look absolutely terrified," Luffy, Zoro and Run tell him in unison, pointing at his still shaking knees.

"I-I don't need your sympathy! If that's all this is then-"

"Not a single one of us would risk our lives for something like that," retorts Zoro bluntly. "We're simply honoring your courage to fight these guys by yourself."

"We don't need any other reason than that," adds Luffy. This earns a grin and a gush of emotion from the sharp-shooter, who goes on and on about how he cannot believe that they're risking their lives to help him which most of them just ignore for the most part. After a bit of questioning Usopp tells them that the only way the pirates can get to the village, and Miss Kaya is to go through a small slope which they would make impossible to do with a well placed oil slick. "That seems pretty easy!"

"It's pretty easy to say...but we'll be fighting a bunch of pirates! The rest will depend on what we can do against them. What can you guys do?"

"Cut."

"Stretch."

"Steal."

"Brawl."

"Good! I know how to hide," Usopp tells them, only to be screamed at by the others. "I-It was just a joke! Relax...!"

* * *

The whole slope is covered in it, doused with several barrels of oil to ensure that no one will be able to get up. "That should do it," remarks Run, sitting on one of the empty barrels. "The only thing that could go wrong is if someone slipped." Luffy laughs in response. They sit in silence, watching the sunrise and waiting for the arrival of Klahadore and his pirates.

"They should be here soon," remarks Zoro, gazing at the rising sun. "The sun's up."

"You're sure this is the right place?"

"Well...they had their meeting here, so I assume this should be the place," reasons Usopp, arms crossed as he stares down the slope.

"That isn't a yes, ya know."

"Hey, do you guys hear that?" Nami suddenly asks them, hands held up to her ears. "It sounds like yelling from somewhere else. You...You don't think the pirates are coming up somewhere else do you?" She turns to look the sharp shooter. "Is there anywhere similiar to this near the village?"

"Similiar to...c-crap! There's a place like this to the north! If they come up there...!"

"How far away?" Run asks, standing quickly and turning to face him. The man stutters in response, and Run repeats the question with more urgency, "How far, Usopp?!" He quickly explained that it would only take a few minutes to reach the shore if they ran there. Luffy took off running without hearing another word and Usopp followed immediately after him, leaving Zoro, Nami and Run to watch them disappearing into the distance. "North shore...isn't that where we left our ships?"

"Wait a second...we did!" shrieks Nami. "My treasure! I left my treasure there! They're gonna take my treasure! We need to-" Before she can finish her sentence, she slips on the oil and reaches out to grab the nearest thing to catch herself. Which just happens to be one of Zoro's swords and results in him being pulled down the slippery slope with her.

"O-Oi, Red! Gimme a hand!" shouts Zoro reaching out just in time for Run to snag his wrist. Before he can do anything to pull them up, Nami actually climbs up the swordsman and uses him, and then Run as stepping stones to get back to the unslicked ground. The two slide down the slope right to the bottom without interruption.

"Sorry, but my treasure is in danger! I'm sure the two of you can figure out a way back up!"

"I'm gonna kill her!"

"Now's not really the time for that," Run tells him, staring up the slope and trying to think of some way to get them back up. Before Run can even begin to figure out a way up, Zoro charges right up the slope, slipping and sliding on the oil but still managing to get half way up before sliding back down. "Just trying to run up it isn't going to get us anywhere."

"You got a better idea?"

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking," chuckles the red-head. The two look around for a moment, trying to come up with some way to get up. "There's no hand-holds, and scaling the cliff is outta the question. Maybe-" Before he can finish Zoro goes charging up the slope again, this time using his swords to pierce the stone and claw his way up. "What the...? Oi! Little help!"

"Sorry, Red. At least one of us has gotta go help Luffy! Just try to catch up quickly!" Saying that, Zoro sheathes his swords and charges up the slope to disappear into the forest.

"You son of a bitch!" The red-head charges up the slope as well, but succeeds only in slipping and sliding back down. Again, and again he tries but always with the same result, and all the while the sounds of fighting continue to grow louder and louder in the distance. "Fuck me this is annoying!" Run growls loudly as he stares at the stone around him. "How the fu-"

"You seem to be in a bit of a jam," calls a voice that Run recognizes from the top of one of the rocky walls. The red-head look up towards the woman, who stares down at them calmly. In fact, she appears to be somewhat amused by their situation. She's no longer wearing the cloak, instead, it's some kind of skimpy purple cowgirl outfit, complete with a hat.

"Still taking in the sights, I see." She calmly drops down to the slope, standing across from him with the oil-slick between them. Those questions he's had seem to surface in

"Don't you think that's a good thing for you, Run?" Before he can respond, she crosses her arms in an 'X' in front of her, and a number of additional arms sprout from the ground, interlocking and creating something similar to a bridge. He crosses quickly, needing no further invitation. When he's reached the other side, the arms disappear as easily as they had appeared.

"Looks like I owe you a thanks...again." He intends to be on his way, to go help out the crew but the questions he's had nagging at him since their last meeting just won't let him...at least not yet. "Robin, have we met somewhere before? Why are you even helping me?" Several long moments of silence is his response, and when it becomes absolutely clear she doesn't intend to answer, he simply sighs softly. "Alright. Fine. Suit yourself. Everyone has something they-"

"May I ask you a question?"

"Haah. You know, for someone who doesn't like to answer questions...you certainly ask a lot of 'em." Again, she's silent and the red-head heaves yet another sigh. "Fine. Shoot."

"That scar, on your head...how did you get it?" He reaches up up to touch the thin crescent shaped scar just at the edge of his left eye, moving up towards his temple. He searches his memory for a moment before slowly shaking his head in the negative...which is rather strange to him. Usually, he has no problem remembering something.

"I don't remember, it's pretty old. I think...I think I slipped or something like that." He lowers his hand and chuckles a bit. "Actually, I'm surprised you noticed it. It's so faded that no one has ever noticed it before." Robin looks away from him, out to sea in response. "I've answered your question. Feel like answering one of mine, now?" In the distance, the sounds of fighting once again intensify.

"That may have to wait, don't you agree?"

"Huh. Don't think that I'm just gonna let this go. You owe me answers, Nico Robin..."


	4. Meeting Again

Running, running blindly north through the forest towards the sounds of battle. He dashes through trees and brush attempting, usually unsuccessfully, to avoid the numerous sticker bushes that seem to grow in this particular part of the forest. "Aaah! Gimme a break! I should've worn long pants!" the red-head complains, shins and feet feeling like pin-cushions. His grey pants have their legs gathered up just below either knee, and while good for working on the deck of a ship they don't exactly help him in the forest. He breaks free of a very annoying string of sticker bushes, and finally runs right out of the forest, finding himself at the north shore.

With pirates at their backs and man wearing the strangest gauntlets he's ever seen at their front, Luffy and Zoro are definitely sandwiched. "Luffy! Zoro!" bellows Run, earning his attention.

"Run! I was wondering when you were gonna show up!" calls Luffy, grinning and laughing. "I guess you got turned around, too?" The red-head glares at the swordsman, who has Usopp slung over one shoulder. "Aah, whatever. You're here now!" The man with the strange bladed gauntlets glances briefly over his shoulder at the red-head before looking back down the slope at Luffy.

"Another member of your crew playing pirate?" he asks Luffy.

"Huh? Aah, he's my First Mate."

"Luffy! Now that Red is here I'm gonna take Usopp and go after Jango!" Zoro tells him. Luffy nods firmly in response, and as the two begin to pass the man he stops them, holding a bladed hand out in their path.

"Who said that you could go anywhere?" Kuro asks them.

"That would be us!" Luffy's fist streaks past, forcing Kuro to dodge which allows them to dash off into the forest. "And one more!" Luffy streaks towards the man who dodges a second time leaving the straw-hatted pirate to skid to an uneasy stop. "Ooooh! Crap!" Kuro is behind him in an instant, clawed gauntlets raised to deal a killing blow.

"Down, Luffy!" demands Run, watching with amusement as his long-time friend ducks, stands on his hands and launches his feet towards the man.

"Gum-Gum Spear!" Kuro dodges the unique attack, appearing some distance away. "Crap. He dodged again."

"Before we continue, I have to ask why you're getting involved," Kuro questions them. "You're outsiders. Why get involved in the fate of a simple village?"

"Cause there is someone in this village we won't let die," Luffy tells him plainly.

"That's it? Are you really alright with that being the reason you all die?"

"When you put it that way...yeah. But we're not gonna be the one's who die here, Kuro." The pirate Captain starts to rush towards him only to be stopped when Run blind-sides him, smashing his knee into the man's jaw and knocking him to the ground for only a moment before he bounds to his feet. It was a hit hard enough to rattle the teeth, and make his mind go blank for a brief moment but he shakes it off...somewhat. His thoughts are fuzzy, and his vision swims.

"Don't forget about me, eh, Mr. Captain?" taunts Run, grinning at the man.

"That's an annoying fighting style you have there," growls Kuro, briefly placing a palm against one side of his head.

"Thank you very much. My father taught it to me." Kuro just barely notices Luffy's attack coming, and dodges his fist. He surprises them both by landing on his stretched arm, and sprinting towards him to kick him in the jaw. "Luffy!"

"Aah! He cut my mouth," complains Luffy, rubbing his cheek while 'Captain' Kuro's crew cheers him on in the background. To say that he is upset with them would be an understatement as he immediately calls for them to cease their cheering, clearly stating to them that the whole point of carrying out his plan is to be rid of the name of 'Captain Kuro'.

"These past three years...all of this planning...it was all to ensure my success!" Kuro announces aloud. "Money, and peace of mind...I will have it! Do you understand? I cannot allow this plan of three years to fail! I _will not_ allow it to fail! I refuse to allow my plan to be disrupted by a group of brats playing pirate!" He charges Luffy the next second, claws raised to deal a killing blow. Luffy surprises him by stretching back, picking up a boulder towards them and using it to block his attack.

"Heh, you're not fit to be a Pirate if having a name scares you!" taunts Luffy before he snaps the claws off of one gauntlet with ease and then smashes the rock into the man, tossing him back several feet. It doesn't seem to bother his crew that he's lying spread-eagle in the middle of the slope as they start cheering him on again regardless...only to be called to silence one more.

"Shut up...I'll come to kill all of you in just a minute," Kuro tells them, slowly raising himself up. Regardless of his words they still can't seem to wrap their heads around what is going on, believing that he isn't being serious about what he's said.

"You guys still don't get it," calls Luffy, earning their collective attention. "He never intended to let any of you continue breathing after his plan was finished. It's 'peace of mind', after all. Massacre the village, kill Kaya, lay the whole thing at the feet of the Black Cat pirates who he's slain afterwards. With the Navy assured of the destruction of the Black Cat pirates he could just fade back into obscurity once again with Kaya's fortune and not a care in the world."

"My, that's surprisingly perceptive of someone like you...but that's exactly right! I need to make sure that the world continues to think that Captain Kuro is dead, and to do that I'm going to make sure that not even a single person survives! These pawns should just do as I tell them to and die!" To say that they were upset would be an understatement.

"That's actually kinda sad," mutters Run, scratching the back of his neck slowly. "Even if you were to command hundreds, or thousands of men...you'd _still_ lose to Usopp."

"What?! In what way am I inferior to a kid playing pirate?!" He disappears from sight again, except this time Luffy and Run track his movements the two of them having now grown accustomed to it.

"Well, obviously it's gotta be..." The man appears behind Luffy, who straightens his arm out and then spins. "...character." He back-hands the man in the cheek and throws him into the wall of the slope hard enough to create a small cloud of dust. "You don't know what a true pirate is." The Black Cat pirates were amazed that the two had seen through his Pussy Foot Maneuver.

"A true pirate? Huh. Well, then, allow me to show you the true face of a pirate...the face of terror!" He slowly began to sway, back and forth, left to right in a way not at all unsimiliar to Run's dodging. The pirates on the beach began to panic, calling for him not to 'do it'...whatever that meant. Without warning, he disappears from their sight and the world around them is suddenly little more than claw marks and cries of pain.

"What the?!" It becomes clear to the two of them that he's just blindly dashing around, cutting anything he encounters at random without any cause for concern or consideration.

"Luffy, back to back!" demands Run, and the two press their backs together watching the destruction. "His own crew...bastard!" A number of thin cuts opens on Run's bicept a second later, then one Luffy's leg and another on his arm.

"Stop...stop it! Just what in the hell are you doing to your own crew?!" The man continues to dash around, slashing at anything and everything without concern.

"Where is he, where is he...?" Luffy grunts and arches to the opposite side. How can they catch something that's moving faster then they can see? They need to do something, anything to slow his movements! His attacks are getting closer, more accurate. It won't be long before he's cut even _them_ to pieces. "How can we...?" The man appears in front of them as simply as he had disappear. A look of absolute confusion covers Kuro's face, and the man's eyes dark quickly to his ankle.

Run quickly follows his point of view to find an arm rapidly disappearing into the ground. "There!" Run tackles the man and ties him up. Luffy watches as the two strike the ground several feet away, and tumble to a slow stop with Run lying on his back and Kuro facing the sky. The pirate Captain's arm that still has the blades is completely immobilized by Run's arm-bar. "Now! Luffy!"

"Right!" Luffy lands on him in the full-mount moments later, pinning his free arm down and holding him down by the throat. "Heh! Just try your fancy foot work now!" With no other plan of attack Luffy grins from ear to ear and throws it head back towards the sky, his neck stretching as he does. "Gum-Gum...Bell!" The impact drives the man into the stoney earth, and knocks him out cold immediately.

"Th...They knocked him out?!" calls one of the pirates. "Just who are these two?" They stand, and with little effort Run tosses the unconscious body of Kuro towards the Black Cat Pirates.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy!" bellows Luffy. "The man who's gonna be King of the Pirates!"

"Name's Run," calls Run simply. "First Mate of our crew. Now take your Captain and get lost. You ever come back again, and we'll kill the lot of you..."

* * *

And so, with the pirates beating feet in the opposite direction of the two they are left standing on the slope in silence...at least until Luffy collapsed right into Nami's arms. The girl lowers him to the ground gently with a 'well done' whispered just loud enough to be heard by the two of them. Run sits down beside his long time friend with a sigh. "I'd expect you to collapse after something like that," mutters Nami, sitting beside the two of them as well.

"Run?" speaks Luffy. "I really hate those guys. They're wrong." The red head nods slowly in agreement, and picks up Luffy's straw hat from the ground. "Just using each other like that...that's not how friends are supposed to act. Shanks would never do something like that."

"Well, Dad is...special," concludes Run, smiling a bit. "He's like you, Luffy. That's another reason I decided to follow you."

"...Run?"

"Yeah, Luffy."

"I want to eat some meat!" Run chuckles a bit and drops the hat on Luffy's chest.

"Soon. We gotta wait for everyone else." It was a bit later before Usopp and Zoro returned to them. Neither of them seemed to be any worse for wear, or rather in any worse condition then they were when they left the fight to begin with. Usopp was all smiles as he approached, happy that things had concluded on their end it seems.

"Thank you!" gushes Usopp. "If it wasn't for you guys then I never would have been able to protect the village!" He gazes off at the horizon. "And...you've all helped me to come to a decision as well. Thank you again for helping me out."

"...Can we go get something to eat now?"

* * *

The bar isn't all the crowded, and the village doesn't seem to be all that different...no, it's just another lazy day in the village as far as anyone is concerned. A stack of empty plates sits in front of Luffy, who chews on a number of fish bones as if it's completely normal. He and Zoro had practically inhaled the food once again, and this time Run had joined them. Turns out that nearly getting sliced to ribbons could work up quite the appetite. "Whew! That was a good meal!" compliments Luffy.

"Agreed, but now that we've eaten we should be going," Zoro tells him. "Unless we want the welcome mat yanked out from under us." Run chuckles a bit but nods in agreement. The door to the bar opens, and to the surprise of the crew, Kaya enters. She immediately spots them, and smiles brightly at them as she approaches.

"Hey, there, Kaya!"

"Hello," replies Kaya. "I'm glad I caught up with you all. I was really worried that you would leave before I got a chance to thank you for everything you've done. You helped not just me but the village with what you did, even though you didn't have to. So, if you'll just follow me to the beach, I've prepared a gift for you from the very bottom of my heart. Please, accept it!" They pay the bill and then head out of the restaurant when Run catches a wiff of a familiar perfume...one he's only ever smelled from a certain woman in a purple cowgirl hat.

"Luffy," calls Run, earning his attention. "I'll catch up with everyone. I need to use the bathroom." Luffy laughs but nods in understanding while everyone heads off towards the beach. When he believes himself to be out of their sight he turns on his heel and walks around to the opposite side of the restaurant. Leaning against the wall, arms crossed and cowgirl hat tilted down slightly to block the sun is none other than Nico Robin. "Seems that we just can't help meeting, Robin."

"Mm, that's one way of looking at it I suppose," Robin replies, smiling a bit. "I heard that the Black Cat Pirates and their Captain were dealt with. I thought I might come offer my congratulations...I seem to be one of few to do so."

"Are you sure you _only_ heard?" Again she refuses to respond to his prodding and he chuckles a bit. "Well...if you happen to know who helped Luffy and I out then would you kindly tell her I said, 'thanks'? After all, someone like you could easily track that person down, hm?"

"Since you asked me so nicely...I'll be sure to pass on the message."

"Thank you. Now..." Run steps closer, placing a hand on the wall beside her head and leaning in slightly, and lowering his voice. "...I think you owe me some answers, Nico Robin." He'd believed her to be the same height as him but...she was just a bit shorter after all. Two or three inches difference in height but it's enough. She's calm as ever despite his invasion of her personal space, expression unreadable to the red-head. He is close...close enough that she can feel the heat from him, that she can smell him, smell his cologne. It's a heady, distinctly masculine scent. Her perfume surrounds him, fills his head, makes his whole body feel light. "I think...I'm owed that much...right?"

Her eyes drift down to his chest, exposed by a half unbuttoned maroon shirt. Run feels a cool hand press against him chest moments later and Robin chuckles. "My, you can certainly be charming when you want to..." Nimble finger-tips trace a thin scar across his tan skin. "...but don't you have to catch up with the rest of your crew?" She applies a little pressure and he takes the hint, stepping back from the woman and turning away from her. "Until we meet again, Run..."

* * *

The walk to the beach is a short one, made shorter by Run losing himself in thought. Nico Robin seems to know _something_ about him, and his family...but getting any sort of answers out of her is akin to pulling teeth. And, of course, try as he might he can seem to recall meeting her at any point. He'd certainly remember any sort of run-in with her. The more he thinks about it the more his head begins to hurt. "How hard is it give me a straight answer?" Run mutters to himself in question. "Haah...why do I have such rotten luck with women?"

"Run! Hey, Run, look!" bellows a voice in the distance, breaking him out of his private thoughts. He looks up to find Luffy, no, the whole crew in front of a ship anchored close to the beach but ready to sail. It's a proper pirate ship! Their OWN ship! "Look what Kaya gave us! Isn't it great?!"

"Yeah, it is, Cap'n!" The red-head draws closer, looking at the beautiful ship. "Our own ship...it's a beautiful thing."

"Jeez, Red, just how many times do you plan on being left behind?" Zoro taunts him, earning a glare from the red-head.

"Speaking of that, don't think I've forgotten for even a moment who left me all alone at the bottom of that slope, Zoro! It's _your_ fault that I was late to the battle!"

"Are you still bent out of shape over that? You got up the slope, didn't you?"

" _Still_?! Don't say it like it happened last week! It only happened a little bit ago!" It was at this point that they heard Usopp's yelling from behind, and the man came rolling down the hill on a collision course with the side of the ship.

"Is that Usopp? What's he doing?" Luffy wonders aloud, watching as he rapidly approaches.

"Who knows? Let's just stop him before he damages the ship," adds Zoro.

"I'm on it," Run tells them, stepping forward and holding his fist out. He impacts, nose first and stops in place. "Yo, Usopp." While Usopp shucks off his swollen back-pack, the others board the ship. While they can't hear what he is saying it was clear that he was saying his goodbyes to her, and when he is finished he approaches the side of the ship and smiles up at them.

"You guys take care, ok?" calls Usopp. "Let's meet again someday, alright?"

"Meet again? Why?" replies Luffy.

"Obviously, I'm going to become a pirate so there's a chance we'll meet again on the seas!"

"We're meeting here and now!" Run shouts back simply. "Get on! We haven't got all day, ya know?"

"Yeah, we're friends right? So, let's go!" agrees Luffy, grinning. After a moment he nods in agreement, smirking slightly.

"Yeah, I am the Captain, right?" asks Usopp, receiving a quick 'No!' from Luffy in response...

* * *

Zoro sits silently, eyes closed and leaned back against the railing of the deck with his swords close by. Luffy is kneeling down on the deck, drawing on a piece of black cloth and Nami is familiarizing herself with sea-charts and maps. Usopp is doing something on the deck above with the figure-head and Run is around...somewhere. When someone touches a cool bottle to his cheek, however, his eyes snap open and he looks up at red-head. "Let's have a drink, Zoro," Run tells him, and he takes the bottle from his hand with a smirk. "We got a proper ship. We need to celebrate, right?"

"Well, since you put it that way," retorts Zoro, opening the bottle and tilting it back to take a long pull from it. Run hops up to sit on the railing of the deck, and opens his bottle to do much the same. "Hey, this stuff is actually really good."

"I was down in the hold taking inventory. We've got a ton of booze on board. It's some pretty high quality stuff, too."

"Hey, Red, I was wondering something. Is your father really 'Red Haired' Shanks?"

"Yeah." Run chuckles a bit. "But you know, I never once thought of him as 'the pirate' Shanks he was just 'my dad' Shanks. Even so, I'm not blind to his strength. After all, it's that strength I'm gonna surpass." Hearing Luffy chuckling and giggling to himself Run finally decides he has to know what his Captain is up to. "Oi, Luffy, what are you up to over there?" Luffy looks over his shoulder at them, and grins from ear to ear before standing and showing to them all a rather poorly drawn skull with a straw hat.

"Since Usopp joined there's five of us now, so I decided it was time for us to have our own flag!" Luffy tells them, grinning. "What'cha think?"

"Honestly...it's a little lop-sided, Luffy." Usopp jumps down to the deck, waving a length of wood around wildly as he does. "Maybe someone else oughta take a whack at it."

"Huh? Is THAT supposed to be our mark? If you wanted someone to draw something then why not just ask me?" Usopp questions them. "Just leave this to me." He then proceeded to paint his own version of a jolly-roger onto the flag, which earned him a smack in the back of the head before he drew a much better looking version of Luffy's original idea onto it.

"I like it," agree the three men in unison.

"Paint one on the sail, too," Luffy tells him. An hour, and several can's of paint later and their sail was finally sporting their mark with their jolly-roger raised high. "Alright! Everything is ready to go! We finally have our own mark for the Going Merry...!"


	5. Swordsman's Resolve

"...So that's what happened, Red," Zoro tells him, gazing off at the horizon, half-empty bottle held in his hand. "That's why I've gotta become the worlds best." Run nods in understanding, and the two enjoy a comfortable silence for several long minutes that is suddenly shattered by cannon fire. "What the hell?"

"Was that one of ours?" Run asks, turning to face the noise with Zoro. Deciding that it would be best if they didn't just let it go the two head in the direction of the boom. They find Luffy and Usopp standing behind one of the ships cannons, their straw-hatted captain scratching his head as he stares at it. "Luffy, you could at least have told us that you were going to test fire the cannons."

"Huh? Aah, sorry," replies Luffy off-handedly. "See, I found these cannon balls and I thought it would be a good idea to test fire them but I can't seem to get the angle right." Immediately bragging about his skill, Usopp steps up to the cannon. After reloading, and adjusting, he fires off another shot, and succeeds in completely destroying a large rock jutting up out of the water. "Aaah! Amazing! You hit it on your first shot!"

"Haha! Naturally!" boasts Usopp, grinning. "What do you think? Pretty good, right?"

"Amazing! I've decided that you're going to be our marksman!" It isn't long after that they head in to grab a bite to eat...and in the case of Zoro and Run, stop drinking and sober up slightly. All of them are sitting at the table, eating a rather simple meal compared to what they were used to from the towns and villages. "So, now we have a navigator, and a marksman, our own ship and our own flag. But there's one more thing that we need before we head off to the Grand Line!"

"A shipwright? Or maybe a doctor?" ventures Run.

"Nope! But it's just as neccessary for a long voyage! A musician!"

"Are you an idiot?!" demands Nami. "If anything we need a cook before we need a musician! Just what do you see this voyage as?!" From outside on the deck, a loud crash attracts their attention followed immediately by an even louder voice.

" **COME OUT, YOU DAMN PIRATES**!" demands a male voice.

"What the hell?!" calls Luffy jumping to his feet and all but throwing open the door and stepping out. "Who are you?!"

"Who am I?! Is that really the first question you ask someone you just tried to kill?!" The man lunges at Luffy who dodges his sword but unfortunately he destroys a part of the hand railing. "I've slain hundreds of pirates, do you honestly believes some nameless pirates like _you_ are going to kill me and my partner?!" The man raises his blade again, only to be blind-sided by Run from behind.

"Sea King's Roar!" exclaims Run, striking him with elbow, shoulder and palm and slamming him into the wall opposite them. "Ya rotten bastard! Stop wreckin' up the ship! Who do ya think is gonna end up fixing it, huh?" Run pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration and then stares at the prone man. "Crap. I think...maybe I over-did it, Luffy."

"What do you think he was talking about?" Luffy questions him.

"No idea."

"That voice...that you, Johnny?" calls Zoro, stepping out onto the deck.

"B-Big brother!" exclaims the man, staring up at Zoro.

"Hey...where's Yosaku? He's always with you, isn't he?" To say that this question upset the man would be an understatement but he managed to blubber out something sounding like 'He's sick' before running over to the edge of the deck...

* * *

After getting the man off of the small boat and onto the ship, they lay him out on the deck and Johnny begins to explain what is wrong. His teeth are falling out, an old wound has opened and is bleeding again. He appears to be in bad shape over-all, and not a single one of them knows what to do to help him. "I...I don't know what to do!" Johnny tells them, panicking.

"Are you all idiots?" Nami asks them, kneeling at his side and examining him...at least until Johnny grabs her one of her arms. With little effort Run grabs his shoulder and pulls him back into a sitting position. "Go get the limes from the kitchen." Luffy and Usopp run off to the kitchen, and return with a crate of limes which they promptly squeeze into the opened mouth of Yosaku at the urging of Nami. She explained to them all that his sickness, all of it, was caused by scurvy because he hadn't been eating properly.

"Something that simple, and we didn't have a clue," mutters Run. "We should think about trying to recruit a doctor as soon as possible, Luffy."

"It probably wouldn't be a bad idea," Zoro agrees. "I guess that even something like not eating right can be a problem if you intend to spend a long time out at sea." Then, suddenly, the man was on his feet, seemingly revived by the limes and their juice that had practically just been force-fed to him. He was dancing around with Johnny like nothing had happened, and then the two stop and face them squarely.

"I am Johnny!" explains Johnny.

"And I am Yosaku!" adds the other man. The two barely managed a short conversation with Zoro before Yosaku passed out again, falling face first to the deck. A short panic followed but upon being assured by Nami that he would just need to rest and get some more vitamin's. So, they took him inside and laid him out on one of the bed to rest before returning to the same room they had been in before the two boarded the ship. The rest of the day was spent keeping him recovering and eating fruit, and by the time night had fallen he was resting comfortably.

"This should serve as a lesson," Nami tells them all. "Even just being out at sea for too long can be dangerous."

"So, then what we need is a way to properly manage our own nutrition," mutters Run. "I took inventory after we set sail, and we have everything we need but..."

"Then, we should find ourselves a cook!" asserts Luffy, grinning. "That's definitely someone who could something like that!"

"Aaah! That's perfect!" agrees Usopp. "Then we could eat all the great food we want!"

"A cook, huh?" Johnny questions them. "Well, if you're really looking for one then I know the perfect place for you to find one!" Johnny explained to them that it was a floating restaurant, The Sea Baratie, that at the moment was close to the Grand Line, and was a place that kept only the finest of chef's in it's employ. "And, big bro, you know I've heard rumors that the 'Hawk-Eyed Man' you've been looking for has been seen around that place." A huge grin split's Zoro's face in response...while a sinking feeling fills Run's gut. "We'll head North-Northeast!"

"Dad's rival...Mihawk, huh?" mumbles Run, low enough that no one can hear him. "What's he doing away from the Grand Line...?"

* * *

And so they followed Johnny's directions, sailing for several days before finally the restaurant came into view on the horizon...and was it ever a sight to see. Everyone gathers at the bow of the Going Merry to stare at the restaurant in curiosity. "It's...a fish?" Run asks, scratching his head in confusion.

"Yeah, a _huge_ fish!" adds Luffy, drooling as he stares at it. The ringing of bells and alarms attracts their attention to a ship sailing in tandem beside them. "What the...?"

"Marines," observes Usopp.

"Talk about bad luck," mumbles Zoro.

"Where do you think they came from?" Luffy wonders aloud, earning a shrug of the shoulders from both Zoro and Run in response. As if on cue, a pink haired man in a pin-striped suit leaves the cabin of the ship, and approaches the port side of the ship to observe the Going Merry.

"You there!" calls the pink haired man. "I am 'Iron Fist' Fullbody, a Lieutenant of Navy Headquarters! Where's your Captain?! Tell him to come out and state his name!"

"For what purpose?" Run calls back in question, tucking his hands into his pockets. "I'm the First Mate, if you wanna speak with him then give me the message and if it's important-"

"I'm Luffy!" calls back Luffy, interrupting him. "I'm the Captain of this ship! We just made our flag!" The red-head gently pinches the bridge of his nose in response.

"Just made it? How amusing! So then, you're just a bunch of newbies." He finally seems to take notice of Johnny and Yosaku, and immediately proceeds to provoke the two of them. He calls them small-fry, and even laughs when he believes the two of them to have been captured by pirates. Naturally, it winds them up but they don't take the bait, instead shouting back and scattering a number of what looked like wanted posters across the deck of the Going Merry.

"That's some awfully big talk there, Pinky!" calls Run, and he immediately grins when he see's just how wound up the man becomes.

"What did you just call me?!"

"Ooh, someone's sensitive!"

"You bastard! I wanna gonna let you punks off with just a warning but not anymore!" He turns on his heel and walks away, ordering the Marines on deck to sink the Going Merry before he enters the cabin again. Zoro scratches the back of his head.

"Who woulda thought someone could get so wound up over the color of their hair, eh, Red?" Zoro questions him, receiving a shrug of the shoulders in response. The Marines level the cannon of the ship, and Luffy grins in response and jumps up on the edge of the railing. Out of the corner of his eye Run notices Nami kneeling on the deck, clutching a poster in her hand and staring very intently at it. He approaches slowly, and is suddenly very acutely aware of her unsteady breathing and shaking.

He hears an explosion, but doesn't pay it much mind since the Marines have the full attention of Luffy and Zoro...and Usopp. "Oi, Nami," whispers Run, crouching down at her side but not earning her attention. "Nami?" When he reaches out and places a hand on her shoulder she finally notices him, and crumples the paper quickly.

"Wh-What is it?" Nami questions him.

"You alright? You were shaking."

"It's nothing." She finally seems to notice his hand, and swats it away before standing. "And don't touch me so casually, pirate." Run chuckles and stands as well.

"Even if you aren't gonna call me by my name the least you could do is call me 'Red' like Zoro. I'm starting to become fond of that nickname, you know." Run finally turns towards the noise he'd heard earlier and his eyes widen as he stares at the plume of smoke coming from the roof of the restaurant. "What...the hell?" Nami and Run both make their way back to the upper deck and stare at the restaurant before looking at Luffy who is sitting on the figure-head, shoulders slumped down. "I...I don't even...just...I mean...how...?"

"M...My hand slipped," Luffy finally mumbles, staring at the damaged restaurant. "Do you think I should go apologize?"

"It would probably be a good start but...Luffy, those cooks are gonna be awfully pissed, ya know?"

"Aaah! Our one chance at getting ourselves a cook!" Luffy jumps to his feet and cocks back. "I'm going, Run! Look after the ship!" He launches an arm towards the restaurant, and catapults himself towards it moments later...

* * *

They wait patiently for the return of Luffy, mostly in silence and chatting only occasionally. Under the watchful gaze of Zoro and Run, Johnny and Yosaku go about repairing the damage done to the Going Merry. "Do you think that Luffy is going to be ok?" Usopp wonders aloud. "What do you think they'll do to him? Maybe chores for a month or something?"

"Whatever it is Luffy can handle it, I'm sure," Zoro tells them, relaxing against the rail of the ship. Run turns his gaze from Johnny and Yosaku to Nami. She hasn't said much since staring at the poster, and the few times that she'd met his eyes he could see something in them...fear, maybe? Whatever it is, it's giving him a bad feeling as well. He is the First Mate and he has to make sure that everything and everyone is squared away on-board the ship. Unresolved issues can cause problems, and problems can get people hurt or worse.

So, if something is bothering someone on the crew, then he has to get to the bottom of it and get it taken care of. It's that simple. But she hasn't said anything about it since, and they aren't going anywhere any time soon so he plans to leave it be...if only for a little bit. "Hey, Run! If all we're going to do is wait around, then let's go get something to eat, huh?"

"Why not? I'm starved, too," agrees Run. They lower a small boat and then row to the restaurant in the distance. They've only just moored their boat when shouting, crashing and even a gunshot sound from within the restaurant. "What in the hell?" They circle around the outside of the restaurant and open the doors...and they are treated to an amazing sight. Iron Fist is lying on the ground, beaten up, another man is lying in a crumpled heap, covered by the debris of what seems like a table and Luffy...Luffy is being beaten by a gentleman of the peg-legged persuasion.

"What the hell?" ask all four in unison.

"I...I don't even...let's just...find a table." Deciding that it's best to not get involved just yet they all take a seat at an empty table and place their orders.

"This place is pretty wild," Usopp mutters, looking around at some of the damage done by the fighting. It isn't long before their food arrives, in fact, it's almost perfectly timed to the arrival of Luffy who makes his way out of the kitchen. The teasing began almost immediately, with Zoro even asking if they could redraw the flag to their own symbol if Luffy was going to be here for a long time.

"Oi, don't worry too much about it, Luffy," Run tells him, smiling. "I'll remember you while we're sailing the Grand Line."

"You bastard, how could you?!" demands Luffy. "And how can you eat all this delicious food without me?!"

"Well, isn't the point of living life to relax and do as you please?" Even if Luffy tries to be sneaky, Run see's him dig in his nose and drop a booger into his glass of water. "And as for the food, I'm not a cruel man..." He picks up the glass of water. "...so, I'll let you have the first taste!" He pours the glass of water down the man's throat, much to the amusement of the crew and disgust of the other customers. "How could you do something like that out in public, ya damn fool?!"

The two were in the middle of arguing when a blond man with strange eyebrows came over to their table, and began to flirt with Nami. It was some of the corniest stuff he'd heard in his life and Nami seemed to be less than impressed with all of it. He even told her that he would give up working at the restaurant and become a pirate if not for something holding him back. It continued for some time, at least until the same peg-legged man from earlier appeared in the dinning room, telling him that he should just leave and become a pirate.

Rather than agree with him, this began an argument between the two which eventually culminated into a fight. The waiter, who they now know to be Sanji, is thrown into their table but thankfully they save all the food. "Alright! That sounded like permission to me!" Luffy tells him, grinning like a fool. "How about becoming our chef?"

"No way!" Sanji screams back. He immediately fixes the table and then pours a glass of wine for Nami to begin his flirting once more, even offering her free food and drink.

"This guy is giving me a head-ache," complains Run, slumping back in his chair.

"Yours isn't free."

"No one asked." Usopp immediately get's into an argument with him over the unequal treatment but the others ignore it, including Luffy who laughs until Sanji hits him in the head and drags him back off towards the kitchen. "We'll wait for you to finish here, Luffy. Just hurry up, huh?" Run calls after him, receiving a grin and a thumbs up...

* * *

"Maaaan, I can't believe four days have passed," complains Usopp, leaning against the railing of the ship. "When can we leave?" When no response is forth-coming Usopp looks around the deck. Zoro...Nami...where's Run? "Hey, has anyone seen Run?" Zoro nods his head in the direction of the red-head, who is reclining in a make-shift hammock strung up on the deck. He gently rocks back and forth, staring off into space, face blank and expressionless. "What's wrong? Is he feeling sick?" Even Nami looks back at the red head, slightly concerned as well.

"Not exactly," replies Zoro cryptically, trying to figure out a way to explain the situation without telling them too much. "I think this waiting has him at his wits end."

"Is he gonna be alright?"

"He'll be fine." The red-head blinks and sighs heavily before threading his fingers behind his head. Four days. Four days to sit and wait for the cooks to release Luffy from his duties. Those four days have felt like any eternity to Run. With nothing to occupy his attention, he finds his thoughts returning to Nico Robin. He'd spent the first two days trying to recall something, _anything_ about a past meeting but to no effect. It wouldn't have been recent, it would have had to been when he was boy that they met...which was bad for him.

His childhood memories had always been a bit fuzzy...well, maybe more than a bit fuzzy. And so, on that third say, he decided that it was time to quit grasping for straws and to ask for a bit of help. After all, if _he_ could remember then maybe his father or someone else could. He's very acutely aware of just how sharp Benn Beckman's mind is. So, he wrote his father, he wrote Benn, he even wrote Yasopp and Lucky Roo. It wasn't difficult mail out the letters. After all, if the cooks resided in the restaurant, then obviously they had to receive mail which meant that they could send it to.

He simply had to ask a member of the staff. After that, he simply had to wait for a response. Any response...which put him right back at square one. With no answers to any of the questions that he wanted to ask.

"Uhhh...everyone?" calls Usopp suddenly, earning their attention to the pointing man. "Ship." They follow his line of sight and all stare in amazement. It's a huge galleon...although, it's covered in the scars of battle, and barely floating.

"How long has _that_ been there?" mutters Zoro, scratching the back of his head. Then, from within the restaurant, they hear a deafening boom followed by rapid gunfire. "That can't be good." The red-head quickly rolls out of the hammock and approaches the bow of the ship as the ruckus grows in volume.

"Haah, I'm sure that Luffy is mixed up in this," Run tells them, walking towards the edge of the deck. "Nami, watch the ship." He promptly leaps over, landing on the dock with Zoro following and dragging Usopp behind him without much resistance. All the way through the back entrance they can hear yelling from within the restaurant, someone declaring himself as being the 'strongest man' and being the only man worthy of being called 'Don'...whatever that means. And above all of that, Luffy's voice breaks out loud and clear.

"I'm the one who's gonna be King of the Pirates!" declares Luffy, as they finally descend the stairs, finding him facing off with a man in golden armor. "I'm gonna conquer the Grand Line, so I can't back down on this!"

"Always gettin' into trouble, eh, Cap'n?" calls Run, earning his attention.

"You gonna fight him?" asks Zoro, gripping the tsuka of one of his katana's. "Want us to help?"

"I've got this covered," Luffy tells them, grinning. "You guys can just relax." The man in golden armor began to laugh as he stared at them.

"That's your crew?" he laughs. "Just three guys?"

"No way! I've got two more!" Sanji immediately denies this claim much to Luffy's irritation. The man stares at those assembled for a moment before grabbing the large sack in front of him, and slinging it over his shoulder. He declared that he would be back as soon as he had fed his crew, and that he would kill anyone who hadn't fled when he returned. This spawns an argument among the cooks, all of whom berate Sanji for feeding the man, Ghin, as they'd heard him called, to begin with.

The owner, Zeff, immediately silences them, asking if any of them knew what it was like to be near starvation and have nothing at all to eat. After they had quieted down, Zeff told them to leave...but rather than heed his command, they decided that they would stand up and fight...Sanji was very adamant about it.

"Oi, Ghin, you've been to the Grand Line, right?" Luffy asks the man. "What's it like?" His face immediately lost all color, and he began to mutter softly.

"I...I don't know," Ghin tells him. "I don't know if it was a dream or reality but...our entire fleet...it was destroyed by a single man." Everyone stares in shock...everyone but Run that is who's eyes narrow slightly. "I'll never forget it as long as I live. That man's eyes...those piercing eyes, just like a hawks. When he looked at you...it was like the chill of death falling on you."

"That explains the cuts on the ship," speaks Run simply. "You had the misfortune of crossing paths with 'The Hawk-Eyed Man', Dracule Mihawk." Zoro's eyes widen in surprise as he turns to face his comrade.

"What's the matter, Zoro? You know him?" calls Luffy, receiving a sharp nod of the head in response.

"Is it possible that you guys did something to make him hold a grudge against you?" Sanji questions them.

"Or, more than likely, he was just bored," Run informs him.

" **DON'T FUCK WITH ME**!" explodes Ghin. "Who would destroy an entire fleet out of boredom?!" Zeff informs the man that it was just an example...before turning to face Run, who stares down at him calmly, face unreadable even to his oldest friend.

"Even so...I'm surprised that you know so much about this man," Zeff says calmly. "Color me curious. Mind explaining?"

"I think an explanation is a good idea, Run," agrees Zoro, facing the red-head squarely.

"I know because before I joined Luffy's crew, I was sailing with my father, on the Grand Line," Run tells him, watching the shocked expressions of everyone in the restaurant. "The two would occasionally seek each other out to duel. Their battles...it's the stuff legends are made of. They could be heard across the entire Grand Line...those two have destroyed entire islands dueling each other before. That is the caliber of pirates who inhabit the Grand Line, that is the strength of those who call it home."

"You sailed the Grand Line?" Luffy asks his friend, scratching the back of his neck. "How come you never told me?"

"Wha...? Because I thought you knew, Luffy! I arrived at your home town on dad's ship! Where else would I have been before that?"

"I don't get it," mutters Usopp. "If he can duel against someone that strong then why destroy their fleet?"

"Like I said, boredom. Some things happened and my father ended up losing an arm." Luffy's head lowers sightly, and he shifts his hat to hide his eyes. "It's not your fault, Luffy." The young man remains silently regardless. "Mihawk is an honorable sort...he probably won't ever duel my father again, so more than likely he's just wandering the Grand Line looking for something to liven things up." He shifts his gaze to the kneeling pirate. "Like I said, Ghin...nothing but bad-luck, that's all."

"So...that's the strength of the 'Worlds Strongest Swordsman'," speaks Zoro. "The power to destroy an entire island. Hmph, even if that's all true...I've still got my own ambition to follow."

"Wasn't trying to deter you. Just giving you the facts." The red-head chuckles and crosses his arms. "Fulfill your ambition, Zoro, and I'll fulfill mine...and then we'll have ourselves a duel on the Grand Line. Deal?" After a moment the swordsman nods in agreement.

"Deal." Then, outside, an explosion sounds and all heads turn towards it. "What the hell?!" Everyone runs outside, and they're all treated to the sight of the galleon cut into pieces. Through the spray of the sea and the pieces of the galleon, Run could see it...the green flame, the coffin-shaped ship, and the black sail.

"Mihawk." Hearing someone yelling for Zoro, they all look towards the water to see Johnny and Yosaku swimming towards them. They fish the two out of the sea and sit them down on the deck. "Why did you two decide to go swimming?"

"She took it!" exclaims Johnny. "Nami stole your ship! She stole the Going Merry!"

"What?!" exclaim all four in unison.

"Of all times!" growls Zoro.

"Oi! I see it!" bellows Luffy, pointing towards the horizon. "I can still see the Going Merry!"

"We should still be able to over-take it if we can find a ship," reasons Run. "You two still have yours, right?" Johnny and Yosaku immediately jump to their feet, and go about getting their ship ready to sail. "Good. Let's go. You coming, Luffy?" He responds with a shake of his head.

"No, I still have to finish paying my debt here. I'll leave it to you to bring them back, Run."

" **DON KRIEG! IT'S HIM!** " bellows a man from on-board what remains of the galleon. " **THE MAN WHO DESTROYED OUR FLEET!** " Zoro immediately turns to face him, locking onto the small ship moving through the floating debris that was once the mighty galleon.

"That man...it's him," growls Zoro.

"Wrong time, wrong place, Zoro," Run reasons, only to be ignored as he starts walking in Mihawk's direction. The red-head slams his fist against the wall, actually knocking a hole in it without meaning to. "Damn him! Why here, why now?!" One of Krieg's men produced a pair of pistols and fired at the man, only to have his bullets deflected without any effort. "So that's where the old man learned that- what the?!" Zoro steps from behind the men, standing out proudly to face Mihawk.

"He deflected the bullets with his sword. I've never seen a sword moved so elegantly." Zoro looks around at the destruction for a moment before grinning broadly. "Are you the one who cut this ship in half?"

"I am," Mihawk replies plainly.

"So then, you really are the strongest. I set sail for the sole purpose of meeting you."

"What is it exactly that you wish to accomplish?"

"To become the Worlds Strongest!" Zoro draws his sword. "You've got free time, right? Let's fight!" Mihawk stands, and with little effort leaps from his ship to the remains of the galleon to face off the the Swordsman. He reaches up, and tears off the cross he's wearing as a necklace, only to remove the bottom and reveal a small blade. "Oi, what in the hell is that thing?"

"Hm? You wouldn't swat a fly with a sledge-hammer, would you? Regretfully, I don't carry a smaller blade than this. My apologies."

"You think I'm just gonna sit idly by while you make fun of me?" He charges forward, swords at the ready to deal what he believes to be an instant death. "Oni Giri!" The clash of steel on steel can be heard from where Luffy and the rest of crew are standing, though it takes a moment for them to realize that the man has stopped Zoro's three blades with the tiny dagger he has. Zoro broke free moments later, and began slashing wildly, moving as fast as he could manage. "There's no way we're this far apart!"

"Such ferocity." What Mihawk didn't parry, or block, he dodged until Zoro was left exhausted and panting like he'd run a marathon. "What do you desire once you've obtained power, weak one? What do you carry on your shoulders?"

"No one calls our Big Bro weak!" growls Yosaku.

"I'll teach you a lesson!" bellows Johnny, as the two draw their swords. They make in his direction but take only a few steps before Run grabs them both and throws them flat on their backs with ease.

"Are you two insane?!" snarls Run. "If you run over there he'll kill you! Use your heads, and don't try to interfere!" Zoro charges the man, and rather than the attack they were expecting, he's stabbed in the chest by Mihawk. He doesn't move in the slighest, doesn't recoil or flinch.

"Are you simply going to stand there and allow me to pierce your heart?" Mihawk asks him. "Aren't you planning to at least withdraw?"

"I don't know," Zoro tells him. "I don't know exactly why but I feel as though if I take even a single step back, I'll be trampling on every promise and pledge I've made up to this point. I feel like I won't be able to come back to where I am if I do that."

"That is defeat."

"If that's the case...then I'd rather die!"

Mihawk withdraws the blade, and steps back to sheathe the small blade. "Kid. Tell me your name."

"Roronoa Zoro."

"I'll remember that." He reaches back, and draws his black sword. "As a sign of courtesy, I'll end your life with the worlds strongest black blade!"

"Three Swords Style! Three Thousand Worlds!" The two pass each other, attacking in unison...but only Zoro is hurt, all but one of his swords shattering and a huge wound appearing on his chest. He calmly sheathes his remaining sword, and turns to face Mihawk before holding his arms out wide. "Scars on the back are a swordsmans greatests shame."

"Admirable." A single precise slash, from shoulder follows seconds later and Zoro pitches backwards into the sea in a spray of blood. Everyone was screaming, everything had gone so wrong so quickly...and all of it was _his_ fault. Only Mihawk was to blame.

" **YOUSONOFABITCH!** " bellows Run, sprinting in Mihawk's direction. He covers in the blink of an eye, rushing up behind the man and raising his fist to deal a powerful blow. " **SEA KINGS BITE!** " He glances calmly over his shoulder at the red-head and without much effort avoids the attack. It impacts the ship with enough force to create a huge hole in the wall Mihawk had been standing in front of. "The fight was over! Why deal a finishing blow?! What's the point of it?!"

"Run. It's been a while since I last saw you." Run turns and attacks again, snapping out a kick that he leans back to avoid. "Red Hair told me that you left his crew to pursue your own goals."

" **FUCK OFF!** "

"So protective of your friends, so emotional...like father, like son." Mihawk dodges another punch and puts some distance between them. "Calm yourself, boy. He isn't in any real danger." Run stops for a moment but stays on guard.

"The fuck are you on about?"

"The wound I inflicted won't be fatal. I never intended it to be...and besides that he's got far too much fight in him for it to be." Run glances past him to see Johnny, Yosaku and Zoro bobbing on the surface of the sea for a moment before he'd pulled up into their boat. "You've grown since we last met. You look even more like your father now...except for your eyes."

"Why are you here, Mihawk?"

"Boredom. I've lost interest in dueling your father since he's lost his arm...there's no point in fighting a cripple. There's no honor to be won in such a battle."

"Huh. It would hurt his feelings to hear you say that."

"He'll get over it." Mihawk turns to face the boat that Zoro has been pulled into. "Listen well, Roronoa Zoro, it is far too early for you to die! My name is Dracule Mihawk! Go out into the world! Learn about it! Learn about yourself! Train, and grow stronger, and stronger still! No matter how many years it takes, I will hold the seat of the Worlds Strongest, and await your return! Surpass this sword! Surpass me! Roronoa Zoro!" Everyone gathered was in a stunned silence, not a single word even whispered among them.

"And you? What is _your_ ambition?"

"Surpass my father." Mihawk actually smiles a bit at that.

"Your goal may prove to be just as difficult as your friends."

"Doesn't matter. I'm prepared for it."

"Hmph. I'll tell Red Hair that you're doing well, when next I see him."

"I'd appreciate it." Run looks towards Luffy, who standing on the dock some distance away. "Luffy! Zoro is gonna be-" Before he can finish the man's arm raises, sword clutched tightly in his hand and he points it towards the sky. "Zoro."

"Luffy!" bellows Zoro. "Can you hear me?! I...I'm sorry that I lost!"

"B-Bro, stop speaking! Save your strength!" pleads Yosaku.

" **I SWEAR! UNTIL I CAN BEAT HIM, I WON'T LOSE TO ANYONE ELSE EVER AGAIN! IS THAT OKAY...KING OF THE PIRATES?!** "

"That's fine!" calls back Luffy, grinning.

"Just like your father you seem to find interesting people," Mihawk tells him. "Until we meet again, Run. Goodbye." Just as Mihawk began to walk away, Kreig decided that that exact moment would be a good time to challenge him. He lept down from his hiding place, and asked if he was here for him...but when the man responded in the negative, Kreig actually shot at him with his back turned. Mihawk blocked with ease, slicing up another part of the ship and sea to conceal his withdrawl.

Run dives into the sea, disappearing below the waves and only resurfacing when he hauls himself up over the edge of the ship and onto the deck. "Run! Take Zoro and Usopp and go after Nami!"

"What about you?" calls Run back.

"I'll catch up after I've settled the debt here! Just go get Nami and the Going Merry! I'm counting on you!"

"Got it!" Run gives him a thumbs up as they set sail in the direction of their ship. "Usopp, make sure that we don't lose sight of the Going Merry. Johnny, Yosaku, look after Zoro. Let's bring back Nami and the ship..."


	6. Captain's Pledge: Help Nami!

"And you're _sure_ this is what she was looking at, Johnny," Run asks him for what has to be the thousandth time. The man responds with yet another nod, doing his best impression of a bobble-head it seems. "Hmph." Run stares intently at the wanted poster in his hand. "'Saw-Tooth' Arlong." He crumples the paper up and tosses it over-board before turning his attention to the island in front of them. Zoro had managed to come back from his near-death experience but his wounds still need some proper treatment.

They had left Yosaku behind to guide Luffy and hopefully Sanji, if their Captain had convinced him to join them. "I-I think w-we're here," Usopp stutters while quivering behind Run.

"A-Arlong Park," adds Johnny.

"I-Is Nami really here? Let's look for the ship first before we do anything else. I-If she isn't here then let's move on." Zoro snorts and then stands to face the entrance of Arlong Park which they happen sailing straight towards.

"Let's cut our way in," Zoro tells them.

"I like it," agrees Run, crossing his arms. "We'll kick in the front door, and if Nami is here we'll question her. If not, we'll leave. Simple, right?" The other two are less than excited about their straight-forward approach, and it shows on their faces...and then their actions. "Untie us, now!" Usopp and Johnny had ambushed, and tied the two of them together. Usopp rambles on about being a great adventurer, and about how he's going to bring back Nami himself...at least until they notice a trio of Fishmen on the dock who seem _very_ interested in their boat.

And when two of the three decided to investigate, the pair immediately panicked. "What do we do?!" asks Johnny.

"Escape," declares Usopp, moments before the two dive over-board.

"Oi! Untie us, morons!" demand Zoro and Run in unison. Moments later, the Fishmen leap out of the water and onto the deck in front of the two of them. The two arbitrarily decided that they were suspicious, and that they needed to be brought to Arlong...which was actually good news for them. So, they take them back to Arlong Park, and thankfully, separate the two of them so they aren't tied up together. As far as they can tell the place is filled with Fishmen, and the flag of their crew is flying high over-head.

They pull the boat in, and then haul the two of them off of it to sit them in front of a Fishman with a long nose. He takes a single look at the two, staring down his nose at them which immediately irritates both Zoro and Run. "So, does anyone want to tell me...just what in the hell is a pair of filthy Human's doing here?" he questions them.

"We're looking for someone, ya half fish bastard," Zoro tells him bluntly. This only serves to launch Arlong into a rant about the 'natural superiority' of Fishmen over Humans. It goes on for several minutes without stopping, at least until a familiar voice interrupts him.

"Your ridiculous opinions are irritating me, Arlong," Nami tells him, approaching them slowly.

"Don't take things so serious, Nami," Arlong tells her. "Obviously, you're an exception."

"What the hell?" demands Zoro. "Nami, why are you acting so friendly with this damn guy?!"

"What do you mean, why?" counters Nami, slowly approaching. "Obviously it's because I'm working with him. All you guys were is just another target. I honestly never expected that you would pursue me this far...I almost feel a little bad. Almost."

"I trusted you...Luffy trusted you," mutters Run, staring into her eyes. A flicker of something dances across her face...regret, maybe? "And now you've shown your true colors. After all that talk about hating pirates...I never took you for a hypocrite." Arlong bursts out into laughter at this, which only further irritates the two men.

"You're complaining about her hypocrisy?" Arlong asks them. "Nami is a cold-hearted woman. She would even forget about the death of her family for money!" The look in her eyes...it's one of complete sorrow. "I guess it was just misfortune that you came across her!" Again he laughs at the two of them.

"Is that right?" Zoro asks them. "Well, it's not like she was even remotely trust-worthy to begin with. Even if she were a killer I wouldn't be surprised." Nami offers no defense for her actions, instead she just tells the two of them to get lost. "Red."

"Do it," Run tells him, and watches as Zoro launches himself backwards and then sinks below the surface of the water. Run watches her, completely sure of what she is going to do just like Zoro is...and seconds later, she dives in after him. "I thought so." She surfaces moments later, dragging a coughing and hacking Zoro with her back onto dry land. Naturally, the Fishmen are all curious as to exactly why Nami would save the man when he wasn't one of them and had tried to kill himself.

"What the hell are you doing?" Nami asks them.

"Proving a point. You're no pirate. You couldn't even sit idly by and watch a supposed 'target' die. A small-time thief shouldn't try to act all tough."

"Damn it, save me sooner next time," complains Zoro. "I thought I was gonna die, idiot." Nami angrily tells Arlong to lock the two of them, and that she'll deal the them later. One of the other Fishmen tells Arlong that another 'unknown Human' has been spotted in the village...

* * *

The red-head waits in silence, staring out the barred window of the room he's occupying. Zoro is... _somewhere_ around but he isn't sure where since they'd separated them. He's certain that the swordsman is doing fine, so he's just worried about how to make his escape. Not only are his hands tied at the wrists by his back, but his arms are tied down to his sides, too. Nami, aware of his monstrous physical strength, had made sure that he wouldn't be able to exert it in any way. He can't even move an inch which is going to make escaping all the more difficult. He heaves a bit of a sigh as he thinks about just _how_ to get free.

There's a sound outside his door, a distinct and sharp 'crack!' as of a piece of wood snapping in two, and its immediately followed by a dull thud. Several moments of silence chase this before the door to his impromptu jail-cell is opened. Run squirms and wiggles, turning in place to face the door...and his eyes widen in surprise to find Robin standing in the door, spinning a key-ring around one finger. "Hello again, Run," Robin says in way of greeting, though he ignores it for a moment to glance past her at the Fishman lying face down on the ground. Or, rather, he _would bi_ face down if his head hadn't been twisted around like some kinda doll."Seems I can't help but help you."

"Yeah," drawls Run, smirking a bit. "Well, I'd shake your hand in thanks but, as you can see, I'm a little tied up, Robin." She just stares at the red-head and he groans. "Ugh, I can't believe I just said that."

"Finished?"

"Yeah. Little help?" She approaches, circling around behind him and kneeling to work on the knots. "Not that I'm not glad to see you but...mind telling me why you're here? Wait, let me guess." He glances over his shoulder at her, still smirking. "Just taking in the sights?" She meets his gaze calmly, expression as unreadable as ever.

"In a manner of speaking, Run." He chuckles a bit in response, and looks back towards the door, keeping an eye out for anyone who may come along. Although, it's not like he could actually do anything other than shout a warning to her. "And why are you here?"

"I'm here to bring my friend back, obviously."

"The Navigator." Run nods his head in the affirmative while Robin continues untying him. How exactly she knows Nami's position on the crew is a question he decides to save for later. "If she's the reason that you've ended up in here...then she's certainly troublesome."

"True. But luckily..." He looks back at her again, attempting a charming smile. "...I like troublesome women, Robin." Again, her expression is completely unreadable to the red-head but the ropes around his body go slack and she moves down to his hands. Cool, smooth fingers slide against his calloused own as she meets his gaze.

"There you go with that charm again."

"Just can't seem to shut it off," Run says rather flippantly. The ropes binding his wrists loosen and then his hands are free. Robin stands and Run follows, stretching his arms towards the ceiling. "Much, _much_ better." Robin walks towards the exit, and the red-head follows, stopping her at the door and briefly peeking out himself to make sure that there are no surprises waiting. "Looks clear to me." The two step over the body of the dead Fishman and head in opposite directions only to stop. "Where are you going?"

"I could ask you the same thing. We should sneak out the back before they discover that you've escaped."

"No can do." She arches a brow in response. "I gotta find Zoro."

"The Swordsman." Again he refrains from questioning her back her apparent knowledge regarding the members of the crew and instead nods. "I believe I passed the room he was being held in. It's in that direction." She motions down the hall in the direction he was heading.

"Alright." He looks down the hall and then back towards here. "You comin' with me?"

"Afraid not. I wish you luck, though. Try not to get eaten, some of those Fishmen looked hungry." The red-head chuckles a bit in response, and watches as she walks away down the hall. He heads down the hall in the direction she indicated. Since it's impossible to know for sure _exactly_ what room Zoro is being held in so he stops to investigate every room he passes...until he's struck pay-dirt. He pushes open the door to one of the rooms and finds the swordsman sitting cross-legged at the back of the room.

"Zoro!" speaks Run in a harsh whisper, earning his attention immediately.

"Red? How'd you get free?" Zoro asks him, watching him close the door behind him and approach.

"Had a little help." He kneels behind the swordsman, untying the knots quickly. No sooner have the ropes gone slack then the door opens, and the two freeze. "Oh, shit." In steps Nami and both release a breath in response. She blinks in surprise when she sees the two standing there.

"You're...free?" Nami asks, confused by Run's presence.

"Naturally," Zoro tells her. "Did you think we'd just sit around and wait, small-fry?" She snorts in response, and tosses Zoro the only sword that wasn't destroyed by Mihawk.

"Fine. Now that you're free, hurry up and make your escape before Arlong comes back." Nami turns and begins walking away. She makes it as far as the doorway before a hand lands on her shoulder and stops her. She looks back sharply at the red-head, mind racing to try to figure a way out of it if he decides to physically stop her.

"I don't know what you're mixed up in but...if you tell us we can help, Nami," Run tells her. She is silent for a few moments, and Run is sure that she's about to tell him...at least until she bats his hand away again.

"I already told you not to touch me so casually. Now just leave...and stay out of things that don't concern you." Then, without another word she leaves the two of them alone and Run sighs heavily. Zoro steps up beside the man and then looks out the door.

"The place is probably crawling with those pirates. How do you think we should handle this?" Zoro questions him.

"Let's kill 'em and be done with it," replies Run rather cold-heartedly.

"I like it." Without another word, the two leave the room and step out into Arlong Park, finding it crawling with Fishmen. Without much warning the two set about killing anyone who gets in their way which becomes all the easier when Run acquires a cutless from one of the pirates Zoro has cut up. When all is said and done, only the two of them are left standing. Zoro takes a seat in Arlong's chair while Run looks around at the damage the two of them have done. "So, what should we do now?"

"Luffy said to bring Nami back, so that's what we're gonna do." Run raises his cutless to rest it on his shoulder. "Besides that, Nami needs help even if she isn't asking for it...so we're going to take care of that before we bring her back."

"Tch! This is turning into one great big mess."

"Doesn't it always?" Hearing someone talking loudly to themselves outside of the gate both turn their attention to it, approaching slowly and peering over it to find an octopus Fishman...fishing. It takes a few moments for the man to finally notice them. "Hello, there."

"Hello!" chirps the man back without much reserve. "Who are you two? Me? I'm Hatchan! Call me Hatchi! Are the two of you Arlong's guests?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"Arlong isn't here right now, right?"

"Nope. Where is he?" Zoro questions him.

"Apparently, there's a long-nosed outsider running around! So, Arlong locked up his friends, and then went to Cocoyashi village to catch him!" Zoro and Run exchange glances and shake their heads in response. "If you want to go see him I can take you there." The two nod in understanding and hop the fence...

* * *

"Well, here we are!" calls Hatchan, watching the two of them step out onto the dock. "Cocoyashi Village. Arlong should be here!" It was not a particularly long trip to the village with Hatchan ferrying them there, so they made good time. The two toss out a thanks over their shoulders as they head towards the village, intent on seeking out and killing Arlong.

"Do you think we should split up, Red?" Zoro asks. "We need to find Usopp, too."

"It might not be too bad of an idea," agrees Run. "After all he isn't really...suited to knock-down drag-out battles. The villagers should be able to tell us something." The two make their way to Cocoyashi village but before they can even begin their search for Arlong or Usopp they're approached by one of the villagers.

"You two are outsiders," calls one of them. "Are you...with that long nosed kid with the sling-shot?"

"Yeah, that's Usopp," replies Zoro. "Where is he at?"

"He was captured! He stood up against Arlong, and he was taking to Arlong Park!"

"Shit!" exclaims Run. "And after we killed off all those Fishmen, you know they're going to kill him in revenge! Let's go, Zoro!" The two take off at a sprint in the direction they believe Arlong Park to believe...but since they came by sea and not by land, they aren't exactly at an advantage. The two are in the middle of their run when the sound of something crashing through the trees begins to surround them, growing louder and louder by the second. So much so that they eventually come to a stop and scan their surroundings for the origin. "What the hell...?"

"Who's chopping down the damn forest?" grumbles Zoro, seconds before a _boat_ comes brusting through the forest canopy...a boat carrying Luffy, Sanji and Yosaku. "The hell?!"

"Oi! Long time no see, guys!" bellows Luffy, standing on the bow as he goes skipping across the earth, leveling trees and eventually coming to a stop in a shattered heap. Luffy brushes himself off as he steps down from the heap of splintered wood. "Hey, guys."

"What the hell kinda greeting is _that_?!"

"Have you two found Nami yet? Oh! And what about Usopp and Johnny? Where are they?"

"Shit!" exclaim Zoro and Run in unison, explaining that he's been captured and that they need to hurry to Arlong Park to rescue him before he's executed.

"It's too late," calls familiar voice, earning the attention of everyone present. Johnny stumbles out of the tree line, face streaked with tears, and finally collaspes several feet from them. "He-He's been killed! By...By Big Sis Nami! She murdered him!" While this seemed to shock everyone, it was Luffy who took it the hardest. He quickly seizes Johnny by the front of his shirt and lifts him to his feet.

"That's bullshit!" bellows Luffy. "Say that again, I dare ya! I'll kick your ass!"

"Luffy, relax!" Zoro tells him. "Johnny is just passing on what he saw."

"I don't care! Nami would never kill him! She would never do that! We're friends!"

"Friends with who, exactly?" calls Nami, earning the attention of everyone present. Luffy releases Johnny and turns to face the navigator. "Why are you here?"

"Because you're our friend! We came here to get you!" Sanji seems to be completely beside himself with joy, happy to see Nami and asking her if she remembers him...which spawns an argument between himself and Zoro. Johnny suddenly runs around Luffy, pointing at Nami.

"You murderer!" screams Johnny. "You killed him! I saw it with my own eyes!"

"So what? Why not kill me as revenge?" Everyone stares at her in surprise. "I'll tell you this, Arlong wants Zoro and Run dead for killing so many of his Fishmen comrades. It doesn't matter how monstrously strong all of you are, you're no match for real monsters. If you hang around this island then you WILL end up being killed."

"Enough!" growls Zoro. "Where is Usopp?"

"The bottom of the sea." This is what finally sets Zoro off, as he charges the navigator...only to dodge an attack from Sanji which immediately spawns another argument between them. "You can have your ship back, so go find yourselves a new navigator and set sail for the Grand Line or whatever. Just get the hell off this island! You're all an eyesore!" Everyone is silent for several long moments before Luffy pitches backwards and strikes the ground flat on his back.

"I'm going to sleep," Luffy tells them all.

"Really think now is the best time?" Run questions him.

"I don't plan on leaving the island, and I don't really care what's going on around this island...and I'm a little sleepy. So I'm going to sleep."

"Fine! Do whatever you want! Die for all I care!" Nami turns, and runs off without another word...even Yosaku and Johnny took this opportunity to run away, saying that they would rather not end up getting themselves killed deliberately...

* * *

Luffy snores away, lying spread eagle in the middle of the road. They all wait patiently for him to wake up and decide what their next course of action is going to be. "Oi, Red," calls Sanji, attracting his attention. "Do you think Nami really killed Long Nose?"

"Who can say," Run tells him. "I never had her pegged for the type. She couldn't even stand idly by and watch someone die...although, she may have grown frustrated after I called her small-fry act disgusting and decided to prove me wrong. Who can say?"

"Whadya mean, 'small-fry'?! What about Nami's body is small?!" Sanji launches a kick at the red-head, who intends to block it with his forearm...unfortunately, Usopp's face blocks the kick for him.

"Usopp! He's alive!"

"Maybe not after that," mutters Zoro, watching him drop. Thankfully hearing Usopp's voice was enough to wake Luffy, and he immediately jumps to his feet and picks up the now unconscious sniper. He shook him quickly, asking if Nami was the one who had hit him...which forced an apology from Sanji and Run as Usopp comes to.

"Glad to see you aren't dead," Run tells him, smiling.

"Honestly...I would be if not for Nami," Usopp tells them all. "Nami _is_ working with them but...something just isn't right. She _saved_ me from them." Usopp went on to explain to them what happened, how Nami had faked stabbing him by actually stabbing her own hand and then shoving him back into the sea so that he could swim away. "There has to be a reason for her working with Arlong!"

"I know that Nami likes money but...there's definitely more to it than that," agrees Run.

"It's no use," calls a voice unfamiliar to them all. They turn to face a blue-haired, tattooed woman standing several feet away. "No matter what you guys do, Arlong's rule of this island won't come to an end."

"Nojiko," calls Usopp.

"Who's she?" Luffy questions him.

"She's Nami's older sister." Sanji immediately gushed about how it beautiful she was, much to the irritation of everyone present.

"No use?" echos Run, trying to get back to the point. "In what way?"

"Hmph, I'll explain everything," Nojiko tells them. "But in exchange, you all have to promise that you won't get anymove involved with this village, and you'll leave this island, and Nami, alone." Luffy immediately tells her that he has no interest in Nami's past, and that he is going for a walk.

"Don't mind him," Zoro tells her. "We'll hear what you have to say...but we're not promising a thing."

"As long as it straightens out this whole thing," Run agrees.

"Well...it all started eight years ago..."

* * *

Nojiko's story finished and they all sat in a somber silence. "Do you know how painful it was for her?" Nojiko asks them. "That's why you can't interfere. If you make a huge fuss then the pirates will grow suspicious of her, and everything that she's done will have been for nothing!" Usopp and Sanji are absolutely raring to go, despite Nojiko's pleas that they leave this be. Nojiko walks several steps away from them before pausing and looking back. "Please. Please don't get involved anymore than you have." With that, she leaves them alone.

"We're not honestly going to leave, right?" Usopp asks them.

"Hell, no," Run tells him bluntly. "After hearing the whole story, even if Nami begged and pleaded with me not to do anything, I'd ignore her. I'm not the Captain but in my opinion...we're leaving this island with Nami navigating or not at all. It's really that simple." Zoro wakes from his nap, and stands. "Awake? Alright, let's get going. Luffy is probably waiting for us." They walk back to Cocoyashi village, and they find a mob assembled when they finally arrive. It seems like they're preparing for an assault on Arlong Park. Standing some distance from the mob is Luffy, watching and waiting in silence. "Wait here."

He calmly approaches Luffy, stepping up beside his oldest friend and watching the crowd. "Is it as bad as it seems?" Luffy asks him.

"Worse."

"Let's crush him."

A huge grin splits the red-head's face. "If it's the Captain's orders." The mob runs off, leaving Nami sitting alone in the middle of the village. She looks beaten down, ragged, tired...eight years of doing whatever it takes to survive, eight years scraping and saving, eight years lying and deceiving...all of it gone. No one should look like that. She reaches down towards her side, and picks up a knife from the dirt. She raises it, and for a moment the two of them are worried she intends to kill herself but instead she plunges it into her arm, right into the tattoo.

With every stab she screams, stabbing again and again at least until they cover the distance and Luffy stops her, holding her wrist high above her head. She looks back at them, tears streaming down her face. "Luffy, Run," mutters Nami, removing her hand from Luffy's grip. "What do you want? I thought I told you all to leave."

"You did," agrees Luffy.

"Leave!" demands Nami, flinging dirt at the two of them. "I don't need you!" The sound of cloth ripping sounds seconds later, and someone grabs hold of her arm. She looks over at Run, who carefully, and gently bandages her arm with his torn off sleeve.

"Even if you didn't ask for it, we're still gonna help," Run tells her, tying a small knot carefully so as not to cause anymore pain. "That's what friends do. Got it, small-fry?" When he's finished he stands, and smiles down at her. That proves to be the final nail in the proverbial coffin, as Nami breaks down.

"Help me." It's a plea that's little more than a whisper, but heard clearly by the two of them.

Luffy reaches up, removes his hat and places it on her head without a word. Then he rears back to face the sky, breathes deep and shouts at the top of his lungs, " **OF COURSE I WILL!** " With that the two turn and begin walking back towards the others. "Let's go..."

* * *

Luffy is running ahead of them, so fast that he's just barely visible to the four of them...and then he completely disappears. "Crap," complains Run. "We need to hurry. There's absolutely no telling what Luffy is gonna get up to if we aren't there." Even the fact that they double their speed doesn't seem to have much effect when weighed against Luffy's superior speed, and by the time they arrive they find that their Captain has already destroyed the entrance the Arlong Park, struck Arlong and is in the middle of being attacked by the other Fishmen.

Sanji rushes past the others, and in a flurry of kicks, completely defeats every one of the attacking Fishmen. "Butt out, you small fry!" exclaims Sanji, before looking at his Captain. "Why do you always have to go running on ahead?"

"It's not like I was gonna lose."

"That's not what we were worried about," Run tells him, stepping up beside him. "We just didn't want you to have all the fun."

"I really don't mind," Usopp tells them all, knees knocking.

"How brave," replies Zoro sarcastically. The Fishmen take one look at Zoro and Run and immediately recognize the two of them as the pair that had killed so many of their comrades. Naturally, they were more than a little upset with the two of them. Upon seeing Usopp alive, it took them less than a minute to put two and two together and arrive at the conclusion that Nami had betrayed them.

"So, you lot are with Nami," calls Arlong. "Is that why you're all here? Revenge? Ha! What can five inferior creatures do against us?" The octopus Fishman, Hatchan, decided that now is the perfect time to start signaling for something by blowing his own strangely shaped mouth like a bugle. Several tense moments pass before something begins rising from the surface of the water, and Usopp begins to panic again.

"There's a whole lot of food for you here, Momoo!" calls Hatchan. "Time to eat!" The sniper panic's even worse, rambling on about the 'grand-line monster' as a sea-cow finally breaks the surface of the water...he's covered in scrapes and bruises, and clearly he's been on the losing end of a fight. The creature takes a single look at Luffy and Sanji, and for some reason promptly turns around to leave.

"Momoo," calls Arlong. "What do you think you're doing?" Momoo stops in place immediately. "Though, if you want to go...I suppose that I won't stop you." Seconds later, the monster turns and charges them, intent on swallowing the lot of them whole. Usopp launches back into panic again, apologizing again and again as it draws closer and closer.

"We're gonna die! We're really gonna die!" screams Usopp, as the Fishmen close in ahead of the sea cow.

"This is a waste of time!" complains Luffy. "Leave this to me!" They watch their Captain slam both feet into the concrete under him, anchoring himself into it.

"What is he up to?" Sanji mutters in question.

"Whatever it is, it doesn't look good," replies Run, watching Luffy wind himself up like a top. The sea-cow lunges at them, and Luffy reaches out to seize it's horns.

"We should go!" Zoro tells them all.

"What's he doing?"

"I dunno, but it really doesn't look good!" They all turn, and start to run away from Luffy, the sea-cow and the Fishmen pirates.

"Gum-Gum...Pinwheel!" He begins spinning the huge sea-cow, destroying a lot of Arlong Park and defeating a huge number of Fishmen as he does before he sends it flying out to sea. "I told you that I didn't come here to fight small-fry like these guys! The one I want...is _you_ , Arlong!"

"What the hell?!" demands Run, approaching his oldest friend quickly. "If you're gonna invent a new technique how about giving us all a heads up?! _We_ were almost sent flying, too, ya know!" Luffy is catching flack from all sides as Usopp and Sanji give their Captain a piece of their minds as well.

"Oi, the Octopus is up to something," Zoro tells them, making them look over at him. Sanji immediately describes to them the perfect way to cook octopus, and even adds that it when cooked in that way it was great to have when drinking.

"Huh. Ya know, I've never once had an opportunity to try octopus. Sounds delicious, though."

"That right? Well, I'll make some when we get back to the Going Merry, Red."

"Oi, guys, I'm kinda in a bit of trouble here," Luffy tells them. "Seriously, a little help?"

"Hachi Ink Jet!" bellows Hatchan, spraying a huge jet of ink at them...which every one of them but Luffy dodges.

"Really?! Why didn't you dodge?!" Zoro questions their screaming Captain.

" **I'M...BLLLIIIIINND...!** " Hatchan picks up a huge chunk of debris and begins walking towards Luffy, who still remains stationary. "G-Guys! I'm stuck! And I can't see! My feet are stuck and I can't see!" He stops in front of their Captain, concrete held over-head. He slams it down seconds later, apparently crushing him.

" **LUFFY!** "

"Man, what a pain," complains Sanji just before the concrete shatters. "I can't believe I joined an idiots crew. But...I suppose it's better than joining a crew like theirs that would harm a lady." Usopp takes this opportunity to attempt to free Luffy from the cement, grabbing and pulling him straight back...which only serves to stretch his legs like a pair of rubber-bands.

"Do you think I'll let you keep playing around?" Hatchan asks, picking up another chunk of stone. "I'll crush you this time!" Zoro raises his sword in front of the octopus Fishman, blocking him from persuing the now fleeing and still stretching Luffy.

"Oi, don't worry about them," Zoro tells him. "I'll be your opponent." He smashes the stone down towards Zoro, who dodge with ease, landing several feet away...just as Luffy sails by, smashing into the Fishman with the huge lips. "What the?"

"S-Sorry, he slipped- Aaaggahhh!" screams Usopp, running away as the Fishman begins to chase him. Upon seeing that the villagers have armed themselves however, he briefly stops in an attempt to question and harass them but is provoked once again, this time by an exploding pellet shot into his face by Usopp. Arlong finally seems to have had enough as he stands and begins walking towards the gathered group.

"Just watching all of you is making me sick," Arlong tells them. "Move."

"Huh? I'm gonna kick your ass!" declares Luffy, throwing a punch at the Fishman only to have it dodged, then caught. Then, to everyone's complete amazement, Arlong kneels and with little effort tears up a huge chunk of concrete containing Luffy. "What the?!"

"People with Devil Fruit powers can't swim! Though, even people without powers would sink if they had a pair of concrete shoes!" With that, he tosses Luffy into the water in front of him.

"I'm going after him!" Sanji tells them, running towards the water.

"Stop!" demands Run. "Don't even think about going in that water! It's exactly what they want! They're a handful on land, we'd never stand a chance against 'em in the water. There's only one way to save him..." The red-head motions towards the Fishmen pirates.

"Take these guys down in an instant, and then go after him."

"Exactly." Seeing as Zoro had already laid claim to the ocotopus, and Sanji had picked out the other Fishman...that left Run to deal with Arlong. "Looks like it's gonna be just you and me, Arlong." Without waiting for a reply or even an acknowledgement the red-head rushes him, cocking back. "Sea King's Lash!" A loud 'smack!' sounds when Arlong catches his ankle, although, from the grimace that flickers across his face it's not without some discomfort.

"Ooh, now that's interesting." Arlong grabs him by the front of his shirt, and without much effort throws him into the nearest wall which shatters on impact. "Tell me, how did a puny Human learn such an old Fishman's fighting style?" When there's no response forth-coming he breaks out into laughter. "What? Don't tell me a little throw like that did you in, Human?" A chunk of rock sails out of the smoke, and Arlong tilts his head to dodge it, and his eyes widen when he see's the red-head barreling towards his face.

"Sea King's Rush!" The impact makes Arlong's mind go blank as he skips backwards across the pavement, eventually striking a nearby wall and lying still in the rubble for several moments before finally getting his wits about him. He shakes his head, attempting to gather his now muddled thoughts as he slowly stands. "Didn't ask for commentary on my fighting style, Arlong."

"You damn Human...you god damn Human! I'm going to make you pay for this!" He looks around at the situation. Zoro is lying face down on the pavement, and Sanji is mysteriously missing...and there's a brand new whole in the security fence surrounding Arlong Park. "Looks like you're the only one left standing, human."

"How dare you, Roronoa Zoro!" exclaims Hatchan. "You died before I could give you a taste of my Six Swords Style!"

"I wouldn't count 'em out yet," Run tells them all, smirking. As if on cue, Zoro stirs and slowly stands. "Taking a beauty nap, huh, Zoro?"

"Bite me, Red," retorts Zoro. "You. Six Swords Style? What a joke." Zoro glares at the octopus. "Let me tell ya somethin', Octopus. There's someone I have to meet up with...and until I do, not even Death himself is gonna take my life from me!" Sanji makes his appearance again, calmly walking through the crowd of villagers gathered outside of Arlong Park. "Johnny! Yosaku! Lemme borrow your swords!" The two don't even hesitate to throw their weapons to him.

"Huh? You think you can beat my Six Swords Style in your condition?" Hatchan asks him, raising his swords just as Zoro catches the blades thrown to him. "I'll show you the difference between you two armed Humans and myself!" Zoro surges forwards, weaving and blocking before countering with an attach of his own.

"Streaming Wolf-Swords!" A number of slashes appear on Hatchan's chest...but it doesn't seem to really do much.

"You bastard, now I'm really mad!" He turns to face the swordsman. "If you think about it, there's no way you can defeat me! I can hold six swords, and you can only hold three!"

"What kind of bullshit are you spouting? Three swords, or six swords, it doesn't matter! The weight of our swords is entirely different! So, there's no way I'll lose!" Hatchan points all six blades at him, and then charges forwards to strike...only to have him block. He breaks open Zoro's defense and head-butts him right in his wounds, sending him sailing into the sky. Hatchan began spinning his swords around in a while wind, declaring this to be his ultimate technique. As Zoro drops however, he uses his own swords to counter Hatchan and land several feet away after dealing another attack to him.

"That bastard! He rolled on my swords, adjusting to the spin! He even cut my hands! What is this, some kind of circus act?! That's it! I'm really gonna kill him!" Hatchan picks his swords up, and assumes the same stance before charging at the swordsman who raises his own blades.

"It's over...Dragon Twister!" Zoro is a whirl-wind of blades, sending Hatchan sailing into the sky and shattering his swords. "You know the difference between our swords now...are you happy?"

"Hachi," mumbles Arlong, watching the Fishman drop to the pavement.

"Told ya not to count 'em out," Run tells the man, smirking. From behind Zoro, the same Fishman that was fighting Sanji appears, attempting to sucker punch the injured swordsman. Before he can, however, he's intercepted and countered by Sanji.

"You sure did send me flying with that last punch," Sanji tells him. "Honestly, I was a little surprised."

"So, there's someone who's strong enough around this place who can survive one of my punches," mutters the Fishman. Zoro takes this opportunity to crawl towards the water, intending to go after Luffy, at least until someone grabs his shoulder.

"Stop," Run tells him. "You go into the ocean with those wounds, and you'll be lucky if _you_ make it back out alive."

"Shut-up, Red!" demands Zoro. "He's at his limit, we have to go after him!" Before he can rebut this, Sanji dashes past them, diving into the water without a second thought. "Wha...?"

"Are you serious?!" The Fishman he was fighting follows after him, and leaving Zoro and Run alone on land with Arlong. "I don't see 'em...I don't see 'em...!" Several minutes pass before Sanji breaks the surface of the water. "Sanji!"

"Don't worry, he's fine," Sanji tells them. "...More or less."

"More or less?" The Fishman who had chased him into the water, chases him out onto dry land. No sooner had he stood up, than Sanji began to beat the man in earnest. To say that the fight was one-sided did not do it justice, and it was only ended when Sanji kicked him through the building of Arlong Park.

"Looks like that's two down," announces Run, facing Arlong. "And only one to go."

"Luffy's out of danger for the moment...but I need to go back and free him," Sanji explains to them. "Although, I doubt this guy is just gonna sit by and let me."

"Then I guess we'll just have to beat him and be done with it."

"You still think...that you stand a chance?" Arlong asks them, kneeling and dipping his hand into the sea. With a palm full of water, he waves it in their direction. It's as if the three are struck by an invisible sledge-hammer. They're tossed off their feet, and flat onto their backs gasping for breath and crying out in pain. "How amusing!" Having not been involved in that much fighting, Run rolls to his feet after a moment, a hand pressed to his stomach in pain.

"What...the hell? All you did was throw...a little water!"

"Exactly! I can crush you Humans just by playing with a little water! Do you truely believe you stand a chance?"

" **ARLONG!** "

"Yo, Nami!" All heads turn to face the woman in question. "I was just in the middle of crushing some pirates. Why are you here?"

"I'm here to kill you."

"To kill...me?" echos Arlong, before brusting out into laughter. "Don't you ever learn your lesson? Just how many times have you tried to kill me over the last eight years? Assassination, poison, even sneak attacks...the fact of the matter is, you _can't_ kill me!" He pauses for a moment. "Look. I'm not going to kill you...and you _can't_ kill _me_...you are going to be my navigator forever. But I am a kind-hearted man, so how about this...I'll kill everyone here today...or you can come back as my navigator, and I'll allow the villagers of Cocoyashi to live, in exchange. Aah, but unfortunately, these guys-" He pauses to motion to Zoro, Sanji and Run. "-have got to die. They've already gone too far. So...how about it?"

"Huh, you really are a complete bastard," Run mutters. "No matter her decision, the price the death."

"I wonder what a small-fry like her will choose," adds Zoro.

"I'm sorry," mutters Nami. "Everyone! Please die with me!" A cheer in agreement sounds from the crowd, and draws grins from the pirates. Moments later, a huge fountain of water sprays skyward in the distance.

"It's about time," speaks Sanji, slowly sitting up. "All we need to do now is free his legs."

"So, that's what you were talking about," replies Zoro, rolling over and standing. "Thirty seconds. I don't have anything more than that in me." The red-head slowly stands as well, and watches as Sanji dives back into the water to free their Captain.

"Take a rest, I'll handle this," Run tells him.

"Back off, Red. This half-fish bastard is all mine." This comment immediately irritates Arlong but he doesn't have much time to dwell on it before he's struck in the face by an egg. "What the?"

"Zoro, I've got your back!" calls the familiar voice of Usopp.

"Usopp!"

"Heh-heh! I took down one of their leaders all on my own! Can you believe it, Nami?!" He's grinning from ear to ear.

"Standing in my way...looks like you wanna die first, Roronoa Zoro!" Arlong taunts the swordsman.

"Die? Hardly," retorts Zoro, grinning. "But I am gonna break that big nose of yours!" He swings a sword at it, only to have it stopped BY his nose. Hearing yelling about the 'octopus bastard' Run looks over just in time to see Hatchan dive into the water after Sanji, and when he looks back at Zoro he finds the swordsman speared on Arlong's nose.

"So, is that it?" He tears Zoro away from his nose and holds him up by his throat. "And what's with all these bandages? What, did you fall down somewhere?!" He tears off the bandages, exposing the wound given to him by Mihawk. From shoulder to hip it looks as though Zoro has been cut in half, and someone just sewed him back together. How he was even walking around with a wound like that was something that none of them had an answer for. Then, for some reason, Zoro starts laughing in Arlong's face. "What?"

"You know, if a person stays still...then their wounds won't reopen."

"What of it? You find this amusing?"

"I didn't mean me." A small pool of red appears on the surface of the sea, and Run chuckles.

" **I'M BACK!** " bellows a voice from above, as all heads turn sky-ward to find Luffy sailing through it. "Zoro! Tag out!" He grabs the swordsman, free's him from Arlong's grip and uses him to sling-shot himself to the Fishman. He deals number of quick blows to Arlong, throwing him through the wall of his own head-quarters before landing back beside his First Mate. "Jeez, I thought you guys would have finished this by now."

"Hah. Cut me some slack, brother, I haven't exactly been able to fight," Run tells him, stretching and cracking his knuckles.

"What was that? Did you attack me?" Arlong asks, slowly standing and brushing himself off.

"Aah, don't worry about that. I was just warming up," Luffy tells him, grinning...


	7. Arlong Defeated!

First things first, I want to thank everyone for their kind words but I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that I have to take a small break because I am going to visit family, so I won't be posting chapter eight for around a week or so. The good news is that I am NOT going to stop writing during the visit a new chapter should be posted when I return. I apologize for this guys, really, but it's family.

* * *

They face off against Arlong, standing several feet away from the irritated Fishman and prepared to finally end the fight. "You plan to fight me two on one?" Arlong questions them. "Even if you do, what do you expect to happen? Do you even know the difference between us?"

"Nose. No, jaw," replies Luffy.

"Webbed hands?" offers Run, holding up his hands and spreading his fingers.

"Species!" bellows Arlong, lunges at the two of them. Both dodge in opposite directions, and pace backwards as he snaps at them again and again. Arlong suddenly seizes Luffy and slams him against a pillar. Run grabs his old friend by the hair of his head and stretches it out of the way of Arlong's jaws, making him bite into the pillar. Rather than shattering his teeth, he actually bites _through_ the pillar, freeing Luffy and allowing the two of them to scramble away in the dust up.

"That power...if we get bit it's game over, Luffy."

"Do you see now, the inherent power of a Fishman?" Arlong questions them. "You Humans were created as creatures inferior to Fishmen. We've been on different levels since the moment we were born." Luffy and Run exchange brief glances before looking back at him. "I'll show the two of you the _real_ difference between us!"

"Yeah, why don't you?" agrees Luffy, grinning. "There's no way that we'll lose to you."

"Is that so? Can you Humans even do something like bite through a pillar?" Both of them laugh in response to his question.

"Why would we need to?" Luffy crushes a huge chunk of stone with his fist while Run stomps a stray piece of stone on the ground into dust. "When we can do that? After all, biting isn't the only way to break stone, ya know."

"That's not my point! You Humans are so weak you can't even help yourselves!" He launches himself at the two of them, who dodge his jaws. Luffy stretches his arms out, and snags a pair of discarded swords before turning and swinging at him. From Run's point of view his attacks are, well...disappointing to say the least. Arlong quite easily avoids them until at last he shatters both of his borrowed blades. Luffy immediately punches him in the face, throwing him off his feet.

Run covers the distance in the next second, cocking back as he does. "Dodge it this time, Arlong," Run tells him, grinning evilly. "Sea King's Bite!" It's a strike hard enough to shatter his teeth and drive him straight down into the concrete, nearly making him lose consciousness.

"I have no idea how to use swords! I don't know how to navigate, I don't know how to cook, and I don't know how to lie! I can't do any of that but I know others that can!"

"To admit that so easily," replies Arlong, attempting to gather his thoughts after such a powerful punch. "Your crew must be quite distraught to be led by an idiot like you. I wonder why there tried so hard to save someone like you. What can you even do?"

"Beat you." Cheering from behind them, earning a growl from Arlong.

"Go ahead and babble, insects!" His teeth drop out of his mouth, and from his gums a new set emerges much to the surprise of everyone. "What's with the look? I am a shark. New teeth grow in one after another, and every time they're stronger than the last!" Arlong reaches up and pulls a set of teeth out...and then another. "Do you understand now? This is a distinct quality given to us Fishmen by the Heavens!" He holds up the sets of teeth in front of them. "Tooth...Gum!"

He lunges at them, snapping the jaws and trying to take chunks out of them while they dodge, and weave his attacks. He singles out the red-head, much to his chargin as he continues to bob and weave. "Why'd he pick me, Luffy?!" Run shouts in question, avoiding the jaws again and again.

"Hmm, maybe he doesn't like you?" offers Luffy.

"He doesn't...gee, ya think?!" Run dodges another of Arlong's attacks...and unfortunately, loses his balance when he slips on the loose rubble and water. "S-Shit!"

"Got you now!" bellows Arlong, striking at the off-balance red-head, who quickly grabs the nearest thing for a shield...that being one of the earlier defeated Fishmen. As angry as Arlong is he doesn't notice until he's already bitten the Fishman several times.

"A-Arlong...s-stop..."

"Wha- brother! How dare you? How dare you use my brother as a shield?!"

"You started it," replies Luffy rather childishly. "Ah! Hey, Run, I've got a plan!" The red-head arches a brow in question but it doesn't seem his Captain is going to be sharing it when he instead rushes forward to fight with Arlong again. Run watches the two fight, and when Luffy knocks Arlong to the ground and makes him loose another set of teeth, he's sure that he's just gonna ground and pound the Fishman...at least until he takes the teeth and shoves them into his own mouth. "Look, I've got fangs, too!"

"Luffy! _That's_ the plan?!" screams Run. "Now is a really bad time to be screwing around!"

"Who says I'm screwing around?" Arlong chases Luffy even more fiercely than before, and even succeeds in pinning the man to the ground with a set of his teeth. He's thrown off of Luffy moments later by Run slamming his knee into his cheek. He rolls to his feet and launches back at the red-head...who can only offer up his forearm as a shield between himself and Arlong's teeth. They sink in like a hot-knife through butter, and he immediately cries out in agony. The red-head growls in fury and seizes Arlong by his nose before slamming the man head first into the concrete underfoot.

He releases immediately, and Run pulls his arm free from the jaws. "Gaaah! You rotten prick!" curses Run.

"Oi, where did he go?"

"H-Huh?" The two look around, trying to find any sort of trace that could point them to Arlong.

"The water!" exclaims Usopp. "He's in the water!" Both look towards the sea, and find only a fin sticking out of the water and moving fast.

"Aaah! A shark!" exclaims Luffy.

"That's Arlong," Run corrects him, widening his stance slightly. "Be careful."

"Shark...Darts!" Arlong launches himself out of the water at the two of them. They barely react in time, dodging by the skin of their teeth even as he sails into and creates another hole in the wall of his own building. "Wow, I'm surprised you dodged it! But...the more you dodge the harder you're making it on yourself!" They barely have time to think before he launches himself at them again, this time from the building. He's supported entirely by his nose, ram-rod straight up and down. He attacks again and again, faster and faster, leaving them no chance to dodge and trying to tear them apart.

"Get away from the water!" screams Usopp. "You need to get away from the water!"

"Hell, no!" exclaim Luffy and Run in unison. "We're gonna break that damn nose of his!" Luffy stretches his fingers out into a small wall in front of him.

"Gum-Gum...Shield!"

"Shark Darts!" He strikes Luffy's fingers, stretching them but being stopped in place. Luffy grins like a fool before he bounces off of Arlong into the wall behind him. Moments later, Arlong explodes out of the tower, streaking right towards Luffy who dodges him again. "This is it! Shark Darts!"

"Gum-Gum...Finger Net!" He stretches his fingers out like a net, and using them to capture Arlong briefly. "Now...Gum-Gum Spear!" He drills both feet into Arlong's stomach, driving him into the pavement hard enough to make him spit up blood. "Did that do it...?" The Fishman stirs, his eyes open and he fixes Luffy with a predatory glare not at all unlike a Sea King. He falls from the sky, right into Arlong's hands as he seizes him by the hair of his head, spins him around and throws him into the building.

"You filthy Human! Who do you think you are?!" He rounds on the red-head. "And _you_!"

"Uh-oh," grunts Run, raising his guard just in time to avoid taking the full strength of his punch in the jaw. "Aaaah! The _same_ arm!" Luffy snags Run up by his collar and pulls him up to the roof to avoid Arlong's follow up punch that nearly pulverizes the wall. When he frees himself from the wall, he's wielding some huge jagged sword. "What the hell is that thing?!" He swings the blade, and they dodge him, watching as he destroys part of the roof and they climb higher. Higher and higher he chases them, until they have nowhere left to go. "Shit!"

He swings again, and they duck quickly before diving through the nearest window in an attempt to escape. In a storm of shattered glass, stone and splintered wood they go sprawling across the floor of the room. "Looks like you two have run out of places to hide," calls Arlong, stepping through the hole in the wall that he's created.

"What the? This room is full of papers," observes Luffy.

"Papers? There aren't just papers. There are all maps!" The two look around the room. It's little more than a desk, a chair, and papers...thousands of papers. "Aren't they great? These are my treasures! For eight years I've had her making these sea-charts for me!" Arlong points the blade at the two of them. "Nami's skills should be used for the Fishmen only! Her talent is wasted on you!" From the desk beside them, a pen drops to the ground...a pen with a crush of dried blood covering it. Run picks it up and turns it over in his hand several times.

"This...This pen is covered in blood," mutters Run, squeezing it a bit tighter.

"Nami's charts are absolutely vital if I am going to attain world supremacy for the Fishmen! She is going to continue drawing sea-charts for _my_ ambitions! With her at my side, we Fishmen will be invincible! Our empire will spread across the world! Could you ever use her as efficiency as that?!" A loud 'snap!' punctuates the sentence as the pen snaps between Run's fingers. The red-head reaches out with his left hand, and gently places his hand on the jagged sword.

"Use her?" One of the jagged teeth of the blade is crushed seconds later. "You rotten bastard!"

"Don't talk about our navigator like she's some kind of tool!" bellows Luffy, kicking Nami's desk through the wall with ease. They set about destroying the room, shelves, book cases, anything and everything that could have been used by Nami they completely destroy.

"What do you think you're doing?!" demands Arlong, swinging his sword at them and succeeding only in destroying the sea-charts that Nami has created. "T-The charts! My sea-charts!" Luffy scatters a stack of charts, trampling the papers without concern. He seizes Luffy and slams him into the wall. "I've invested eight years in these charts..." Without warning he bites onto Luffy's neck, sinking his teeth into the flesh with ease. "...they are my ambition!" Run leaps onto Arlong's back, seizes his nose and begins wrenching his head back to open his jaws.

His jaw strength is over-whelming, and Run's muscles burn from exertion as Arlong's mouth slowly begins to open...at least until Arlong's nose finally gives out with a loud 'snap!' twisting skyward at a hard angle. Arlong releases him immediately, stumbling back and raising his hands to grip his now broken nose. "I don't really give a crap about any of that. But...I've figured out exactly what to do." Run releases Arlong's nose, and with a heavy kick to his back leaps off of the large Fishman sending him stumbling away. "Nami can't leave because of this room...so because of that we're going to destroy it completely!" The red-head cracks his knuckles loudly.

"Gum-Gum..."

"Sea King's..."

"Don't get cocky! You think Arlong Park can be destroyed by a pair of weaklings like you?!" Arlong reaches up, straightens out his nose and lowers his stance. "Shark Tooth Drill!" He launches himself at the two, whirling around and around like a tornado.

"...Battle-Axe!"

"...Bite!" The attacks impact Arlong in the center of his back, driving him straight down through every floor of Arlong Park and right into the foundation. The whole building begins shaking moments later, wood splintering and stone cracking. "Luffy, the place is coming down! We need to go!"

"Oh, crap...!"

* * *

Rubble...Arlong Park has been reduced to rubble. What was once a grand structure is now little more than a heap of concrete, splintered wood and broken glass...and with neither Luffy or Run anywhere to be seen. Panic wells up in Nami as she watches the dust settle. There's no movement, no noise...nothing at all. The last of the dust settles, and everyone holds their breath, waiting for some kind of sign, anything to give them an idea of who won and who lost...and they aren't disappointed. Two men suddenly burst free of the rubble, tossing off wood and concrete with ease to stand on top of the pile.

" **NAMI!** " bellows Luffy. " **YOU'RE OUR FRIEND, GOT IT?!** " The villagers break out into celebration around a crying Nami. The two descend the pile of rubble into the cheering crowd of villagers, and while Luffy is happy to bask in their adulation, Run decides to simply stand by and watch. He doesn't feel is really his victory to celebrate. However, all good things seem to come to an end and the celebrating is no exception when a group of marines show up on the scene.

"Hold it right there, no one move!" demands a rat-looking man. "I watched the entire fight, and I must say I'm surprised. I never imagined that a crew of no-names pirates like you lot would be able to defeat that band of Fishmen pirates. I hereby claim all of the valuables in Arlong Park as my own! I will be taking credit for all that you've done!" Zoro approaches the man and his marines from behind, and grabs hold of the back of his collar rather tightly if his panic is anything to go by.

"I hate party crashers," Zoro tells him. A sound beating delivered at the hands of Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Run is all it takes to completely subdue the whole lot of them. When they're done the red-head kneels down in front of the rat-looking colonel, doing his best to look his most intimidating.

"So, listen up, Mr. Mouse," begins Run calmly. "Captain's too nice to say it so I will. You and your little marines here are going to clean this place up. Any money, or valuables that you find? Those belong to the people on the island. If I find out that you even took a single Beli from this place-" He pauses to pick up a huge chunk of stone and then crushes it into dust with ease. "-I'll do that to your skull. Got it?"

"Awfully aggressive of you, Red."

He nods quickly in understanding, and when Run stands and crosses his arms the man decides that it's time for a quick escape, swimming out to sea. "I swear I'll get you for this!" screams the colonel from relative safety. "You straw-hat man, and you with the red-hair! Your names are Luffy, and Run, right?! You'd better be prepared because I'm going to have my revenge! You wait and see...!"

* * *

The first thing that they did after everything was said and done...was head to the doctor to have their wounds treated. Zoro's injuries were the most extensive, they needed to be disinfected, restitched and bandaged again before the doctor would even think about turning him loose. "Honestly, what the hell were you thinking?!" demands the doctor. "You can't treat a wound this size on your own, you need professional care! Don't you folks have a medical professional on your crew?"

"Negative," replies Run, wrapping cotton dressing around the bite on his arm. "We should really get one, Cap'n."

"A doctor? Sounds like a good idea," agrees Luffy. "But first we need a musician! Pirates sing, after all!" Run shakes his head slowly in response but continues bandaging his own wounds. After their wounds had been treated professionally, it was time to party! Three days and nights are spent in a blur of food and drink for the crew...mostly drink for Zoro and Run who spend much of their time away from the crowds and drinking in comfortable silence or the closest thing to it.

It was on one such occasion that they were joined by Sanji in the alley they'd taken shelter in. "Had enough partying?" Run asks him, tilting his glass back and drinking deep. "Or are you taking a smoke break?"

"Just taking a rest, Red," Sanji tells him. "I also came to check up on the two of you. How are your wounds, Zoro?"

"Food and drink has fixed me right up," Zoro tells him plainly. "But how long are these people gonna celebrate? It's been three days!" Luffy chooses to make an appearance at that moment, inquiring about some kind of strange melon that Sanji had eaten earlier before running off to find it.

"Well...now that that's settled...I've got some very important things to do!" The cook runs off into the crowd much to the amusement of Zoro and Run.

"Are you going to go chasing women, too?"

"Hah, another time maybe," Run tells him.

"I guess I'll go get something to eat. See ya 'round, Red." The swordsman stands, and walks out into the crowd leaving Run alone in the dim alley. The red-head raises his glass, tilts his head back and empties it in a few seconds. He lowers the mug and blinks in surprise when he finds someone in a hooded cloak sitting across from him. He tenses in preparation for anything this person may attempt...only to relax slightly when the smell of a familiar perfume reaches him.

"I see you're doing alright, Robin." She casually brushes back the hood of her cloak. "I take it you made your escape fairly easily."

"It was no problem, Run," Robin replies, crossing her long legs...which Run openly admires for several moments. Robin actually smiles a bit at his attention. "You should be proud of yourself. After everything you've done on this island, I'd say you're well on your way to becoming a wanted pirate."

"I hope they give me a good title," Run says offhandedly. "Honestly, I'm surprised that it took you this long to find me again." She arches a single brow in response and he chuckles. "Well, you always seem to know where I'm at, and when I'm alone. I'm just a little surprised that you didn't find me sooner."

"I thought I'd let you bask in your victory."

"And now that I have let me guess...you thought you'd congratulate me?"

"I thought I'd tell you to be on your guard. Even if you don't end up with a bounty on your head, you've certainly made yourselves known. Taking down Buggy, then the Black Cat Pirates, and now Arlong and his group. Word is going to get around quickly."

"I appreciate your concern, Robin. But there's really no point in getting all worked up over something that hasn't happened, yet." He heaves a bit of a sigh, and looks at the bottom of his empty mug. "And, honestly...you don't have to worry about me."

"Even if you tell me not to I'm still going to be worried." A small group of drunken villagers pass close to the entrance of the alley, and Robin quickly pulls her hood up, hiding her face from them. "I should go." She stands quickly and turns away from the mouth of the alley. "Until we meet again, Run."

"Suit yourself, Robin." She disappears down the alley, and into the shadows without another word. The red-head heaves a heavy sigh and looks again at the empty glass in his hand. "I need a refill..."

* * *

Time to set sail, and leave Cocoyashi village. The Going Merry is being restocked with everything that they might need for the trip to the Grand Line. Zoro carries up the last crate, and hands it off to Run who places it beside another stack of them. "That all?" Run asks.

"Yeah, that's it, Red," replies Zoro. "We're ready to set sail any time." From the dock, Johnny and Yosaku call to the crew to get their attention. They tell them all that even though they've had a lot of fun its time to get back to their job as bounty-hunters, and that they hope to meet again someday.

"Oi, has anyone seen Nami?" Usopp questions them all.

"Maybe she decided not to join us?"

"Wha?! What do you mean?!" demands Sanji. "Nami is like 98.46% of the reason that I joined!"

"So, you're only 1.54% loyal to the crew, then, cook?" A commotion from the dock again draws their attention to their navigator standing several yards away from the group at the end of the dock.

"Let's get moving!" screams Nami, starting to sprint towards the ship. With some hesitation they do as asked, weighing anchor and setting the sails as Nami draws closer and closer, weaving this way and that through the crowd of villagers gathered together.

"Is it alright to let her do this?" Sanji asks aloud.

"If it's what she wants to do," Luffy replies bluntly. When she reaches the end of the dock, she leaps the distance between the dock and the Going Merry. While they all seem to be upset that they won't be able to say goodbye to one of their own, this seems to disappear when she lifts the hem of her shirt and allows a large number of wallets to drop out.

"Glad to see everything thats happened hasn't put a damper on her spirits."

"She's gonna betray us again, isn't she?"

"Good job, Nami!" With everything and everyone on board...it was time for them to set sail for the Grand Line...


	8. Their First Bounties!

"You raised the price again?" Nami interrogates the bird. "Don't you think that you're charging a bit much?" Regardless, she drops the coin into the birds pouch. "Raise it again, and I'm going to stop buying." Almost the whole crew is gathered at the bow of the Going Merry. Usopp is busy making some kind of new ammunition to fire from his sling-shot with what looks like tabasco sauce while Run is doing push-ups...with Luffy sitting cross-legged on his back.

"What's the big deal?" Usopp asks her. "It's just a newspaper."

"The big deal is that it adds up when you buy them every day."

"Luffy...what's the count?" Run asks, pausing in the front-leaning rest. "Luffy?" A drop of something warm lands on the back of his neck and he turns his head towards Luffy. The young man is staring intently at the tangerine tree's...and drooling while he does so. "Aah! Luffy!" Run arches his back, tossing his Captain off and causing him to fall into Usopp, who splashes the tabasco sauce into his eyes. "If you're hungry then get something to eat! Don't drool on my back!"

"I would but Sanji keeps kicking me when I try!" complains Luffy, crossing his arms. The two of them ignore Usopp, who's running around the deck looking for something to wash out the tabasco sauce from his eyes. "He's being so stingy!"

"You're not getting a tangerine, Luffy!" Sanji shouts, standing in front of the trees defensively. "Nami! I'll defend these tree's no matter what!"

"Good job, Sanji," replies Nami, not looking away from the newspaper. "The world sure is a turbulent place...another coup in Villa." She turns the page, and a pair of papers drop out, floating towards the deck quickly. "Aaaah!" Proudly emblazoned on the two papers are two familiar faces.

"Wanted dead or alive," reads Run, picking up the papers. "'Straw-Hat' Monkey D. Luffy with a bounty of 30,000,000. 'Red' Run with a bounty of 20,000,000." Luffy was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement while Nami was beside herself with concern for her well-being. Both pictures weren't all that bad, either. Luffy is grinning like a fool while facing the camera, and Run has a confident smirk on his face, arms crossed. "Well, at least they're decent photos," mutters Run, looking at his wanted poster. "Thirty, and Twenty million aren't a bad start, either." Luffy is grinning from ear to ear, and laughing like a fool.

"Our first bounties!" cheers Luffy. "And we're getting closer and closer to the Grand Line, too! Aah, before we do let's stop somewhere and get some more meat to celebrate!"

"We have enough meat, Luffy," Run tells his captain. "We restocked completely before leaving Cocoyashi Village." Regardless, Luffy insists on stopping somewhere, and Zoro tells them that he needs to acquire two new swords somewhere as well. So, they really have no choice other than to find somewhere to stop.

"If we need to stop, then we'll be passing by Loguetown," Nami tells them.

"Loguetown?" echos Luffy.

"It's known as the town of the beginning, and the end. It's the place where Gold Roger was born, and the place of his execution."

"Let's go there. It sounds like an interesting place..."

* * *

They docked at Loguetown, and no sooner had they gotten off the ship then Luffy ran off saying that he was going to see Gold Roger's execution platform. The rest of the crew separated as well, each deciding that they were going to enjoy their town here or do some shopping. "Oi, Red, aren't you going to do anything?" Zoro questions him. Run leans against the railing of the Going Merry and shakes his head in response.

"Got nothing I need," Run tells him. "I'll stay with the ship."

"If you've got nothing else to do then you can come with me," Nami says simply. "I need someone to carry my things for me." Upon hearing this, Zoro immediately walks off, disappearing without another word to either of them.

"If that's gonna be the case then I think I'd rather accompany Zoro to the weapon shop," Run mutters to himself. "You know, on second thought, I think I'll go take in the sights, Nami." He leaps over the railing and lands beside Nami. "See ya round." The red head heads into town intending to blend in with the crowds of people all of whom seem to have somewhere to be. He's content to simply stroll down the street, more or less people-watching as he does so.

The red head stops in the middle of the street, picking out from the crowd a very familiar looking woman standing at the mouth of an alley. Leaning against one of the buildings, arms crossed and head turned down to hide her face with the brim of her hat, is none other than Nico Robin. Unlike all the other times he's happened across her, however, she doesn't seem to be particularly aware of his presence. So, he approaches slowly, not doing anything to draw attention to himself while he does. He draws in from the left with her still unaware.

"Looking for someone, Robin?" Run asks her, earning her attention immediately. The red head maneuvers in front of her, placing a hand on the wall beside her head and leaning in as he does. "Looks like I got the drop on you this time."

"Seems that way," Robin tells him, smiling a bit.

"You know, if I thought you would actually tell me, I might ask how you always seem to know where to find me."

"A woman has to have some secrets, Run." He chuckles a bit in response. "What happened here?" He's aware of a gentle pressure on his bandaged right arm, and looks down slowly. Robin fingers the bandages wrapping up his forearm carefully, as if she's afraid she'll do him some more harm.

"Arlong bit me. I guess you were right about those Fishmen being hungry, huh?" She remains silent, staring intently at his bandaged forearm in sympathy...or maybe that's regret? Does she regret not being there to help? It's not exactly her fault he was hurt. He hadn't really given it much thought since it had happened. After all, you don't just get to walk away from a fight unscathed. "Hey," Run whispers, voice low and soft. "I'm fine, alright?" She finally looks up at him, meeting his eyes while he flashes her a smile. After a few moments she nods, and smiles as well. "Robin, there's something...I've wanted to do since I left Syrup Village." Her hand, which had been playing with the bandages, slowly slides up to his shoulder.

"Oh? And what is that?" He ducks his head without another word, gently slanting his lips to her. It's the briefest of touches, and rather chaste at that. After all, he isn't sure how she's going to respond...at least until a firm pressure on the back of his neck pulls him closer. She claims his lips, his tongue, his mouth with a passion he hadn't quite expected from someone who always seemed so cool-headed. His free hand goes to her hip for only a moment before sliding around to her lower back and pulling her slim form against his. In all his life he cannot recall wanting for anything as badly as he's wanted this kiss...and it's over all too soon for his taste.

Robin pulls back, lips slightly parted and breathing a bit quicker. Her flushed face is nothing short of adorable to the red head who smirks a bit before leaning back in. She stops him with a single finger pressed to his lips and shake of the head. "Is that it?" Run asks ducking his head and pressing a kiss against the side of her neck.

"For now," she tells him, her eyes closing as he travels down her neck to her collar bone. "Alright, that's enough, lover boy. Let me go." Run turns his head up as if considering whether or not to do as asked before finally letting her go and taking a step back himself.

"Fine, fine...kill-joy." She clicks her tongue at him in response, as he leans back against the wall behind him. "Well, I guess I should ask...what brings you to Loguetown, Robin? Actually, I have a better question than that." She arches a brow in response. "How did you manage to get here ahead of us? You must be sailing with a pretty good crew." It's a thinly veiled attempt to find out if she's sailing alone or with another pirate crew...and one that she doesn't fall for.

"It's a secret."

"Hah. Right. I forgot." He crosses his arms across his chest as he stares at her. "Well, if you're traveling alone then why don't you ask Luffy to join the crew? It would save you a lot of time and effort tracking us down. Not that you seem to have any difficulty doing it."

"Run, I...I can't." He nods slowly in understanding. "It's not that I don't want to but...there's something I have to do first."

"So, I'll give you a hand, then."

"Don't you have a crew to sail with?"

"Haah...you're not making things easy, are you?" She flashes an apologetic smile in response. "Alright, well, can you at least tell me what this 'something' is?"

"It's personal."

"Hah. Well, when you put it _that way_ I'm most certainly going to drop it," Run says with no small amount of sarcasm. Robin actually chuckles a bit in response. "Look, if it's personal, and I mean _really_ personal, I'll let it go. But, Robin...you have to give me _something_."

"I..." She trails off slowly and is silent for a few moments before taking a deep breath. "Run, do you like history?"

"I think it's important to study it," Run tells her honestly. "Otherwise we'd be doomed to repeat it." His answer seems to please her, a fact that makes him smile as well.

"Do you know what a Poneglyph is?"

"Enlighten me," Run says plainly, leading her to launch into an explanation as to what exactly a Poneglyph is. She tells him that these stone blocks are inscribed with written history that has long since been forgotten. She also explains that some of these Poneglyph's lead to weapons of mass destruction, as well as history of what is known as the Void Century. Which she explains to Run is a century in history where...well, no written history exists. It's for that reason that the World Government has forbidden anyone to study them...something which she rejects.

Through her whole explanation, her speech is impassioned, and her expressions animated...she is truly excited to tell him about the Poneglyph's; excited to talk about history. He's sure that she could stretch it out over hours, going in-depth about the subject but she seems to only tell him exactly what he needs to know. "Alright, I think I've got the idea...so, you're looking for one of these Poneglyphs, right?"

"Yes. Although, it might be more accurate to say I'm looking for a certain one. The Rio Poneglyph."

"Why are you looking for that one in particular?"

"Because it tells the True History of the world."

"Alright. And where is it at?"

"Somewhere along the Grand Line."

"Then come with us!" Run tells her, a grin splitting his face. "Everyone on the crew has their own ambition that they want to fulfill." Robin responds with a soft shake of her head. "Aah! Why do you have to be so damn stubborn, Robin? I don't know exactly what it is you're planning but let me help you!"

"I appreciate the offer but I'll be fine. Besides, you can't just turn your back on your friends and go running off with me."

"You say that, but it still feels like I'm turning my back on _you_."

"Look, don't worry about _me_ , I can take care of myself...I've been doing it for a long time."

"Doesn't mean you should have to." Run turns his head up towards the blue sky. "You know, I've been wracking my mind for a while now. I keep asking myself where you and I have met. I even wrote the old man to see if he could shed some light on the situation."

"The old man?" chuckles Robin, amused that someone like Shanks could be labeled in such a way. "And did you get an answer?"

"He hasn't written back, yet. But I think I've got an idea."

"Oh?"

"My hometown in the West Blue. That's where we met."

"How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Well...honestly, it's just the best guess I can make," he admits to her. "I doubt that we met on the Grand Line, and I'd remember if we met any where else." He finally looks down at her, grinning triumphantly. "I'm right, aren't I, Robin?" Silence is his response, and after a few moments he heaves another sigh. "Alright, maybe I'm not. I WILL figure it out." Thunder rumbles loudly in the distance, causing both to look in it's direction at the grey clouds gathering. "Looks like a bad storm is coming." He turns towards the mouth of the alley. "Luffy said he was going to see the execution platform..."

"It's at the center of town," Robin tells him. "Come on. I'll take you there."

"Oh, by all means. Lead the way." She steps around the red head and heads down the street. The clouds begin to roll in fast as they walk, quickly erasing what was once a beautiful azure sky. They walk for several blocks until they turn and end up staring right at the execution platform in the middle of the town square. "There it is."

"You're not coming?"

"I don't think that would be a very good idea."

"Hmph. I don't suppose I could ask that you stick around then? I've kinda got a bad feeling about all of this, Robin." After a few moments she nods in agreement, and then turns on her heel to disappear into the crowds of people all heading to their homes in preparation for the storm.

"Red! Oi, Red!" calls a voice familiar to the red head. He looks to his right in time to see the approach of his ship mates, all of them apparently having met up somewhere else. Run notes that among them, Zoro seems to be the only one who _isn't_ carrying some ridiculous thing. Nami has an outrageous number of shopping bags, while Usopp's back-pack is filled to bursting...and he's helping Sanji carry some amazing looking fish tusks.

"You won't believe all the stuff I found, Run!" Usopp gushes, grinning widely. "I bought some things that belonged to Gold Roger!" He goes on and on about what he bought all the while the red head listens. He's fairly certain that the person who sold the stuff to Usopp made a sucker of him but...he doesn't seem a reason to point it out if the man is happy. "What about you? What did you do?"

"Studied history," Run tells him simply. "We should probably find Luffy before the storm hits. He said he wanted to- what in the hell is going on up there?" All heads turn to the execution platform in the town square. At it's base it appears to be surrounded by pirates, and pinned down on top of it appears to be none other than their Captain. "Zoro, Sanji, let's go!"

"We'll head back to the ship and get it ready!" Nami tells them as they charge towards the tower in the distance.

" **LUFFY**!" bellow the three men, earning the attention of the two on the tower, and the majority of the pirates in the area.

"Hey, guys!" Luffy calls back, grinning. "You came to help me out?"

"We meet again, red hair," calls the man standing over Luffy, who Run immediately recognizes by his nose.

"Buggy. You back for another beating, big nose?" Run taunts him.

"B-Big nose?! You red haired bastard! After I've finished with your friend here I'm gonna finish YOU off as well!" He raises the sword in his hand, and the trio of men launch themselves at the pirates. They cut a swath of destruction through the men moving towards the two as quickly as possible. "I hope you're watching, Run!"

"Zoro! Nami! Sanji! Usopp! And Run!" calls Luffy, grinning from ear to ear like a fool as the blade begins to descend towards his neck. "Sorry...but it looks like I'm dead!"

" **BROTHER!** " screams Run, watching the blade falling towards his neck...and seconds before it can carry out it's gruesome job, the whole platform is struck by a bolt of lightning. It collapses in a twisted heap of jagged metal and splintered wood...from which emerges Luffy, covered in soot but otherwise appearing unharmed. He retrieves his straw hat from the ground and places it firmly on his head with a grin.

"Or not. Looks like I made it after all." The red head steps forward and stretches out one cheek with a rather irritated look on his face. "Ow-ow-ow-ow! R-Run, knock it off! That hurts!"

"Shut-up! One of these days your damn is luck is gonna run dry, fool!" Marines begin to fill the streets, surrounding them and attempting to cut off any avenue of escape that they could possibly take. "Looks like my lecture is gonna have to wait, Cap'n."

"What do you wanna do, Luffy?" Zoro asks him.

"Well...I guess we should run for it," Luffy tells them, laughing in response. All three of his crew mates shake their heads in response...before they take off at a sprint in the direction that they believe their ship to be in. Once again they cut a huge path of destruction through the fighting pirates and marines to escape down one of the many streets. The marines are hot on their tail, and gaining ground on the four of them.

"Luffy, I don't think we're gonna be able to give these guys the slip!" Run tells him, glancing briefly over his shoulder. "If they catch us we'll never make it to the Merry on time!"

"We should just fight 'em and be done with it!" complains Zoro.

"Good idea." The red head skids to a stop and turns to face the Marines. "I'll take care of things here and catch up!" Luffy skids to a stop seconds later, and turns to complain for only a second before Zoro and Sanji grab him by the back of his collar and start running again.

"Don't do anythin' stupid, Red!" He raises a hand in response, focusing on the Marines rapidly approaching him. The red head cracks his knuckles loudly before launching himself into the group of Marines. He brawls his way through them, relying more on brute strength than any actual technique to beat them. Bob, sway and weave; he won't allow himself to hit by any of them. He's barely finished with the group when another comes running down the street and he's back to work again. One on one he'd mop the floor with any of them but it becomes difficult when it turns into thirty or fourty on one.

"Aaah! This is never gonna end!" He ducks the swipe of a cutlass, and then raises quickly to avoid a knee in the jaw. Someone seizes him from behind, arms wrapped around him to hold him tight. It's easy enough to shake the Marine off...but it costs him precious seconds as a pair of marines with cutlesses draw in, blades prepared to turn him into a pincushion. "Shit!" The next second their heads are wrenched back, their blades clattering to the ground as they reach for the hands pulling their chins skyward.

"Always in trouble, aren't you?" asks a familiar voice, as the marines surrounding the red head drop to their knees in pain. Robin steps out of an alley calmly, arms crossed in an 'X' in front of her. "I guess it's a good thing that I stuck around, hm? Otherwise you might have ended up as a shish kabob."

"Lucky me. Guess we should get going, hm?" Before either one of them can take a single step, however, a wind stronger than any of them have ever experienced sweeps down the street. It throws them both off their feet, sending them tumbling down the street several meters and blowing the marines away completely. He strikes flat on his back, bounces and slams shoulder first into a number of crates with a loud cry. Where Robin goes he has no idea as he's covered with splintered wood and the contents of the crates pour all over him.

When it finally stops Run pushes himself up, a hand pressed to his shoulder in pain. It doesn't feel like he's done any serious damage to it but for certain he's gonna have one _hell_ of a bruise. The red head brushes himself off, and slowly stands. With a grimmace he begins rotating his arm and rolling his shoulder to test the range of movement, and when he's satisfied he sighs. "Robin? You alright?" He slowly scans the area, eventually finding the woman lying on her side, a hand pressed against her ribs. "Robin!"

He rushes to her side, and kneels beside her. "Aah. Run?" Robin mumbles looking up at him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Are you...?"

"I...I don't think anything is broken...but...my ribs really hurt."

"You might have cracked one, or at least bruised 'em. Come on. We gotta go." Very carefully he slips an arm under her shoulders and then under her legs before lifting her bridal style. "We're going back to the Merry. We'll make plans from there, Robin." She offers him a nod in response and he starts down the road as quickly as he can without causing her any more pain. The Going Merry appears in the distance still anchored off the coast and between them and it a whole gaggle of Marines. "Crap!"

"Oi! Red!" calls Zoro approaching from behind with Luff and Sanji. "It's about...who's that?" He sets Robin down on her feet beside him.

"Someone I owe my life to." Although he refrain from asking any further questions he's sure that they'll have plenty later. "Any idea how to get past the Marines?"

"Aah, that's simple!" chirps Luffy, grinning like a fool. He turns on his heel and sprints back in the direction that they'd come from. When he's reached a suitable distance he turns again and launches his arms forward, grasping the remains of two houses on either side of them. "Gum-Gum-"

"He wouldn't!"

"My, he's certainly lively," comments Robin.

"-Rocket!" He launches forward, wraps them all up in his arms and sends them sailing towards the Going Merry. They pass over the Marines, and strike the deck of the Going Merry...some far more gracefully than others if Robin's landing is the standard. They scrape themselves off the deck while Luffy orders them to weigh anchor, and set sail. The wind is in their favor, and because of it they quickly leave Loguetown and the Marines far behind. When it appears that they're safely out of danger Luffy, Zoro and Sanji decide that now is a good time to investigate the new arrival on board the ship.

Upon being told that Robin's ribs were injured Nami volunteered to take her in out of the rain and have a look at them. Usopp decided that he would accompany her. Although, it was obvious that he was going to make sure that Nami wasn't in danger. They gather at the bow of the Going Merry, ignoring the rolling sea and driving rain. None of them say anything for the longest time...before Luffy came right out and asked, "So, who is that lady, Run?"

"Nico Robin, Cap'n," Run tells him, leaning back against the railing of the Going Merry despite the danger. "She helped me out of a jam."

"And so you brought her on board the ship?" Zoro asks.

"She saved my life."

"Do you trust her, Run?" Luffy asks him.

"I do, Luffy. In fact, I'd like her to join." After several moments of silence Luffy grins from ear to ear and nods in response.

"Alright! That's all I wanted to know!"

"Luffy, are you seriously alright with this?" Zoro asks him.

"Of course. If Run trusts her then I trust her, too." From behind them, the red head notices the approach of Nami, Robin and Usopp. "Yo, Nami!"

"How are the ribs?" Run asks, crossing his arms.

"Bruised but otherwise fine," Robin tells him. "How's your shoulder?"

"I'll live."

"Aah! Look!" Luffy calls, pointing past the bow of the ship towards the horizon. There's a light-house in the distance, which Nami immediately informs them is the 'guiding light' that shows people the entrance to the Grand Line. Naturally, Luffy is raring to go orders them to sail straight on through the storm. It's several moments later that Sanji earns everyone's attention by rolling a barrel over to them.

"Well, since everyone is here...I say we should have ourselves a little launching ceremony," Sanji says, placing a foot on the top of the barrel. "In order to find the All Blue."

"To become King of the Pirates!"

"In order to become a master swordsman!"

"To surpass Shanks!"

"To draw a world map!"

"T-To become a-a brave warrior of the sea!" After he's finished Luffy looks over at Robin, who is standing several feet away from the rest of them.

"Aren't you going to tell us your ambition?" Luffy asks, surprising the woman.

"There's no shaking us now, Robin," Run tells her, a crooked grin splitting his face from ear to ear. "Luffy's decided you're one of us." Several moments pass before she finally approaches and places her foot on the top of the barrel.

"To find the Rio Poneglyph."

"Alright!" bellows Luffy. "Let's go to the Grand Line...!"


	9. Onward To the Grand Line!

I'm finally back! I originally planned to lengthen the amount of time between updates because I had a feeling I would eventually write myself into an pace I couldn't sustain...at least until my computer went on the fritz! Anyway, the plan now is to start releasing a chapter every four to five days...hopefully. Well, with that said, enjoy, please!

* * *

The red head swings down, dropping into the male sleeping quarters and closing the door above with a loud 'bang!'. He scrubs a palm through his short hair, flinging drops lets of water everywhere as he does. "I need to get into clean clothes," Run mutters, before shucking his shirt off. He hisses slightly in pain as his shoulder protests the movement, pain radiating out from his bruised shoulder. Run shakes his head slightly as he stares at the soiled garment. One sleeve missing, numerous nicks and tears...and what he hopes is mud smearing the fabric where he was thrown to the ground in Loguetown.

Although, he _had_ landed on cobble-stone. The red head shudders briefly at the notion and tosses the shirt into the near-by trashcan without a second thought. He is about to start digging through his things for something clean to wear when he notices a neatly folded white shirt sitting on the pillow in his hammock. He picks it up, noticing that it isn't just simply plain white but has some black pinstripes. Run immediately surmises that Nami must have bought it for him for...whatever reason. Maybe she doesn't like being in debt? A shirt for a shirt?

Whatever the reason he's thankful, and quickly changes clothes...he's going to be wet when he leaves but at least he'll be _clean_. He's only just slipped his shirt on when the hatch to the women's room swings open revealing none other than Robin. To his slight disappointment she isn't wearing her cowgirl outfit but instead a yellow sleeveless shirt and a pair of purple pants complete with white cowgirl hat. "You know, I liked the cowgirl outfit better," Run tells her. "Nami isn't renting those to you is she?"

"The Navigator was kind enough to give these to me," Robin tells him. While Run is someone skeptical that she had given them to Robin without placing the woman in debt he decides it best not to give voice to it. She might have done so out of the kindness of her heart, after all. "Although, it appears I now owe her." Or not.

"Yeah. She, uh...has a thing for money." He reaches up and scratches nervously at the dusting of stubble along his jaw. "So...what are your plans, Robin?" She arches a brow in response and he sighs. "I mean, you are planning on staying with us, right?"

"I am. After all, I doubt I could shake you." Run chuckles a bit in response. A strange shudder runs through the ship, causing both to look around. "Do you feel that?"

"Yeah, we're picking up speed." The red head turns on his heel, and quickly climbs the ladder out of the mens room, slamming the hatch closed behind him. The rain is still pouring down, and the ship pitches this way and that in the rough seas. Run makes for the lounge where he knows that the whole crew will be gathered to stay out of the rain. He pushes the door open, and steps inside with Robin appearing to follow on his heels. All heads briefly turn before looking back at the table, or more specifically, the map on it.

Everyone seems to be ignoring Usopp struggling to control the ship behind them. "Honestly, I didn't believe it myself," Nami tells them, pointing at the map. "But the map shows canals that lead up the mountain. Which means we might have to go up it."

"That's so cool!" gushes Luffy, grinning.

"What are you talking about?" Zoro questions her. "Even if that map shows it, there's no possible way this ship can climb a mountain."

"That's what it shows!" Nami tells him.

"Look, you stole the map from Buggy, right? Can we really trust it? I mean, who says that it's even accurate?" In the background, Usopp continues his grunting and pulling at the rudder, attempting to steer the ship but to no avail. It gets so bad that Nami asks Sanji to help the man out...but with zero results.

"Anyone know why we're picking up speed?" Run asks aloud.

"What did you say?" Nami questions him.

"I asked why we're picking up speed. You don't feel that?"

"Speed...that's it! I guess we really _do_ go up the mountain!" She points at the map again, and explains that the current is pulling them towards the mountain on the red-line, called Reverse Mountain. The map shows that four currents from the four major seas are pulled up the mountain, and then flow down into the Grand Line. She also explains that the penalty for missing by even a small margin is to be bashed against the rocky face of the Red Line and sucked down into the depths with the strong current.

"You've been awfully quiet," Run says to Robin. "Care to weigh in on the situation?"

"Hmm, I'm afraid that I don't really have much to offer on the situation," Robin tells him though she isn't sure that he's convinced. "Aah, now that I think about it I do know something." He arches a brow in response. "I recall hearing that half of everyone who attempts to enter the Grand Line dies. In my opinion, it would certainly be a shame to end our journey smashed against the Red Line. So if at all possible we should do everything we can to avoid that." This only serves to panic Usopp, and win her flattery from Sanji for possessing such 'knowledge'.

"Hah, why am I not surprised that you know that?"

"Obviously, it's because I'm full of useful knowledge."

"Anyway," Nami says, earning their attention. "Since we're already caught in the current, as long as we don't mess up we should be able to ride it all the way to the summit of Reverse Mountain." With that in mind, Nami ordered them out to trim the sail to avoid any unnecessary interference from the wind. They had barely completed the task when Reverse Mountain appeared before them all. Run whistles in appreciation, turning his head skyward but finding himself unable to see the summit but for the clouds, and the base...the red head could see nothing but rock.

"Uhhh, Nami?" Run calls. "I, uh...I don't exactly see a canal!"

"Nami! I don't see an entrance!" Luffy screams. "We're just gonna crash into the rocks if we keep going this way!"

"What do we do?!" demands Usopp, hanging onto the rudder with Sanji.

"Just keep going straight ahead!" Nami orders them. "That crack in the rock...that's gotta be the entrance! So just go straight ahead!" They draw closer, and closer, pushed ever forward by the strong currents. The fog begins to clear, and the red head stares forward at the rock face...or more specifically, the river of water flowing straight UP it.

"Robin...do you see that, too?" Run asks her. "I'm not seeing things, right?"

"No, thats the canal," Robin tells him, smiling. "It's certainly breath-taking, isn't it?"

"We have to make our way through the gates just right!" Nami tells them all. "If we mess up the ship is gonna be smashed to pieces!" The ship begins to list to the left, heading for the water gates and the rocky mountain face beside it.

"O-Oi! We're drifting!" Luffy yells at them. "Right! Go right! Starboard! Starboard! We're gonna crash!" The two begin pushing the rudder in that direction, using all their strength in an attempt to fight the current...and the result is that the rudder snaps in two, sending them sprawling across the deck much to everyone's horror.

"That's certainly not good," announces Robin calmly. Luffy surges forward as the ship nears the water gates, leaping over the railing between them.

"Gum-Gum...Balloon!" He swells up with air, acting as a buffer between the two, and setting the ship back on course. Of course, gravity takes over and he starts falling towards the sea. "Aah! Crap!" A number of arms sprout from the railing the next second, grasp Luffy by his shoulders and throw him back onto the deck. All heads immediately turn to Robin, who slowly uncrosses her arms.

"Good job, Robin!" cheers Run before noticing the stares of everyone else. "What?"

"Arms," say the whole crew at once, pointing at her.

"Ah, how embarrassing," remarks Robin. "It seems I forgot to mention my Devil Fruit abilities." While this serves to absolutely amaze Luffy it seems to lose it's shine for the others quickly. Instead, they focused on the canal stretched out before them.

"So, looks like this is it," mutters Run, a grin slowly spreading across his face. "A straight shot to the top, and then the Grand Line." They cleared the clouds, and then the summit, sailing several meters into the air as a result of the speed. Naturally, what goes up must come down and so they dropped out of the sky quickly. Laughter over takes the crew as they sail even faster than they'd come up the mountain DOWN it towards the Grand Line. They disappear into the clouds, unable to see much of anything.

"Oi! I see something ahead!" Sanji calls. "I think...I think it's a mountain!"

"Are you kidding?!" Nami asks him. "There _can't_ be a mountain ahead! It should only be open water!" They cleared the clouds, and all were treated to the sight of the single largest whale any of them had ever seen before in their lives. And not just big, but scarred, too...and sticking straight up out of the water.

"Look at the size of that thing!" exclaims Run, gripping the railing tightly. "Luffy! What are we gonna do?"

"Should we fight it?" Luffy asks, grinning from his seat on the figure-head.

"As if!" retorts Nami. "There's no way to fight something that size!"

"Well if we don't do something we're gonna hit it!" Zoro tells her. "H-Huh? Oi! Left! Go left! We can get through to open water that way! Hard to port!"

"Kinda hard with a broken rudder!" Run tells him, sprinting into the kitchen and looking at the stump of a rudder. "Fuck! Zoro, gimme a hand!" The red head grasps what little bit of the stump there is and begins pulling hard to port, with Zoro pushing as hard as he can. Even Sanji and Usopp grab a hold, attempting to turn the ship. Even with all four of them pulling at it it doesn't budge in the slightest, and for all intents and purposes it seems that they're going to strike the whale head on...at least until the deafening boom of a cannon cracks through the air. "What the hell?!"

The ship slows immediately but it isn't enough as they still strike the whale, snapping the figure head off. They run out of the room, and onto the deck to look up at the whale. Other than a small plume of smoke surrounding the area the cannon ball had struck it doesn't appear to have done anything...and the whale isn't moving, either. "Everyone certainly is lively all of the sudden," Robin muses, standing arms crossed near the bow of the ship.

"Oi! Come away from there! It's dangerous!"

"Let's get the hell outta here!" Zoro tells them, as they go about retrieving a pair of oars. They begin rowing away quickly, moving around the whale. They've just begun passing it's eye when Luffy makes an appearance on deck again.

"You bastard!" screams Luffy. "You broke it! That was my special seat and you destroyed it!" He cocks back, and to the utter amazement of everyone, stretches an arm out and punches the whale right in it's eye...which immediately turns down to look at them. "What? You wanna go? Come at me then, ya bastard!" The next second, the whale opens it's mouth drawing in what has to be millions of gallons of sea water along with the Going Merry. Luffy loses his balance, fumbles across the deck and then flips off to plummet towards the sea.

"Robin!" calls Run, hoping she can grab him with her abilities.

"He's too far, I can't!" Robin tells him. They're sucked down the whales throat quickly, and honestly, it's one hell of a ride for them at least until they end up in what has to be it's stomach. None of them quite know what to make of their situation...well, honestly, someone does. "Well, I've never been eaten before. I never imagined it to be so pleasant."

"This can't be real." There's an island in front of them, and if they're in the whales stomach...why does it have clouds and a blue sky painted on it? Are they REALLY in the stomach of a whale?

"I agree, it is strange. Oh! Maybe we actually died, instead?"

"How can you be so calm about this?" Usopp questions her. Before she can answer, however, a huge squid emerges from the water in front of them. This immediately sends Nami and Usopp into a panic while Zoro, Sanji, Robin and Run get ready to fight it. Before it can make even a single move though, it's struck by a trio of harpoons from the home on the island which kill it instantly.

"Talk about anti-climatic," mutters Run. "Aah, someone's coming." A man with a strange flower like hair-style leaves the hut, staring down the crew as he walks calmly in their direction...and then stretches out on a lawn chair, paper in hand.

"Say somethin' will ya?!" demands Sanji.

"If ya wanna fight, bring it on!" screams Usopp. "We've got cannons, ya know!"

"If you do that...I'll die," he tells them.

"Oh come on!" exclaims Zoro.

"Calm down, Zoro," attempts Run, patting him on the shoulder. "Oi, old timer. Mind telling us who you are and where we're at, exactly?"

"Isn't it polite to introduce yourself first?" he counters calmly.

"Aah, I guess so. My names-"

"I am Crocus. I am the lighthouse keeper of the Twin Capes, I'm seventy-one years old and a Gemini."

"Ya know, I never thought I'd hit an old man but-"

"As for where we are, isn't it obvious that you're in the belly of a whale? What, did you think you would end up somewhere else after getting swallowed?"

"W-Wait, so we really _are_ in a whale's stomach?!" panic's Nami. "What's going to happen to us?! I don't want to end up digested!" Crocus simply responds by pointing his finger to the exit across the way. "What the?! We can get out?! Why is there an exit in the stomach of a whale?!"

"So, then, all of this scenery is...what? Fake?" Run asks him.

"It looks like a painting," Robin says, taking in the unmoving scenery. "Why? What's the purpose?"

"Who cares?" Zoro says simply. "If that's the exit then lets hit it." Before they could start rowing again, however, the whole place began shaking. The ship pitched up and down on the waves, revealing that the island wasn't an island but an iron hulled ship...which made sense when they all realized that any _normal_ ship would begin being digested after so long in the whales stomach.

"Looks like it's started again," Crocus mutters. "The whale...Laboon has begun smashing his head against the Red Line again."

"Again?" echos Nami. "Wait...those scars. Is that why he has all those scars on his head?" She stares at the old man. "Those scars...and his howling...he's suffering! Are you...you're trying to kill the whale! From inside his own body!"

"Not our problem," Zoro tells her. "We need to go before we end up digested."

"Oh! The old man dove in," announces Robin. "I wonder how long it takes for a person to digest?"

"Not our problem," Run says simply. "We need to find a way out. Luffy is still out there somewhere so-" Before he can even finish his sentence a small door in the whales stomach was thrown open, and a trio of people came tumbling out...among them Luffy. "Luffy!"

"Oi! So everyone's alright?!" calls Luffy, sailing through the air towards the ocean of salt water and stomach acid below. "Great! Now...help!" The trio splash down, and after a bit of fishing are pulled onto the deck. While Luffy is over-joyed to be back with the crew, the other two appear to be absolutely terrified of the lot of them for some reason. At least until they lay eyes on Robin which is a feat in and of itself considering she's almost completely hidden herself behind Run.

"Aah! It's you, Miss-" Begins the man only to be silenced by a stare from Robin.

"I'm sorry have we met?" Robin asks him, smiling at the man.

"A-Aah, my apologies. I-I seem to have mistaken you for someone else!" He laughs a bit in response...and although the strange back and forth is brushed off easily enough by most everyone else Zoro and Run are somewhat suspicious of it. After all, Robin doesn't exactly have one of those 'familiar' sort of faces. The woman stares intently at Robin, and although she is silent she certainly seems to hold some animosity towards their newest crew-mate for some reason or another.

"You thugs are back again?!" calls Crocus. "I've told you countless times that I won't allow you to lay a finger on Laboon as long as I'm alive!" This seems to amuse the two who slowly stand, telling the man that no matter what they aren't leaving without killing the whale. The turn their weapons towards the 'sky' and fire...only to have their rounds intercepted by Crocus who uses his body as a shield before splashing down into the lake of stomach acid and water. They tell him again that no matter what they're bringing the whale back to their town as food...their gloating his ended, however, by Luffy who punches them both in the head and knocks them out.

"Those two...really had that coming," Luffy mutters watching them fall to the deck. After fishing out the old man, he invited them onto his little island. Run declines the invitation so he can instead attempt some kind of temporary repair on the Merry's rudder. Even if they _can_ escape from the whale, it won't do them any good if they can't actually control their direction. Of course, a single glance is enough for the red head to figure out that it's gonna take more than just a hammer and a few nails for him to fix this.

"We really need to find a shipwright," Run mutters to himself.

"Think you can fix it?" asks the familiar voice of Robin from the doorway. He glances briefly back and then offers a shrug of his shoulders in response.

"Have we got a choice?" She responds with a small chuckle and approaches to have a closer look at the damage done. "Unless someone can fix the rudder it won't really matter if we get out of Laboon's stomach. We'll just be floating aimlessly on the Grand Line." He glances briefly over at the broken steering pole before approaching it and bending to retrieve it. Unfortunately, when he reaches he over-extends and pain races from his shoulder, and shoots straight down his arm like a bolt of lightning. "Aah!" He straightens immediately, and lightly places a hand on his shoulder. "Fuck that hurt," Run curses softly, massaging the muscle.

"Are you alright?"

"I'll live. I just need to rub it out and it'll be fine." Robin arches a brow in response. "Heh. That, uh...that came out wrong." After a moment he bends and retrieves the broken rudder pole with his opposite shoulder before returning to the stump sticking straight up out of the deck. He drops it beside it and crouches to get a closer look. "Haah, now how am I gonna..."

"You seem to get along really well with the Captain. How long have you known him?"

"Ten years."

"That's quite a long time. You-"

"That blond guy. With the '9's on his face...he seemed to know you."

"I think he was just mistaken."

"I could believe that, except you don't really have one of those familiar face's, Robin," Run counters, still facing away from her. "And the looks that woman was giving you...well, that's a look you shoot your enemy, ya know." After a few moments of an uncomfortable silence he sighs and slowly stands. "Anyway, that's just me thinking out loud. Now, I'm gonna go down to the hold and find something to fix this with." He turns and walks out of the room only to return several long moments later with a metal strip in his hands. "Looks like this is just gonna have to do. Mind lending me a hand, Robin?"

It takes a bit of doing but with Robin's help, the red head manages the reconnect the steering pole to it's broken stump with the metal strip and a handful of nails. When he's driven the last one he sighs and Robin releases it to examine his handy-work. "Pretty good work," Robin applauds him. "Think it will hold?"

"I have no idea," Run admits honestly. "I'm no shipwright so...here's hoping?" He puts the tools back into the small tool box and slowly stands. No sooner has he stood than Luffy enters the room, grinning from ear to ear as he does so.

"How's it- Oi! Oi! You fixed it!" cheers Luffy, approaching the steering pole and giving it a firm push and then pull with no ill effect. "Nice timing! We're about ready to set sail...!"

* * *

The way out of Laboon proved to be less exciting than the entrance. Along the way he explains that every tunnel, and canal was created to better treat Laboon as it would be almost impossible to treat such a massive creature from the outside alone. Upon hearing this, Luffy immediately invites the old man to join the crew as their doctor, but he dismisses the idea almost as quickly, citing the fact that he's 'too old' to go running around the Grand Line with a bunch of youngsters.

The whole way Robin and Run stand guard over the tied up two they'd fished from Laboon's stomach. For the most part, the two seem to completely ignore the red head, instead discreetly attempting to keep an eye on Robin. Waiting for them at the end of the canal was a large gate, which Crocus promptly opened and allowed them all to exit back onto the Grand Line. "Aah, fresh air," mutters Run, taking a deep breath and turning his head up towards the blue sky for a moment before looking back down at their two prisoners. "Oi, any idea what we should do about these two?"

"Let's just toss 'em over-board," Zoro replies simply, approaching the two of them.

"Haahh, sounds good to me." Zoro and Run pick the two up with little effort and without so much as a second thought they toss them over-board. After they've done that, they walk towards the bow of the Going Merry, where Luffy is sitting on the broken off figure head in the middle of the deck. Though they've missed most of it, it seems that the old man is in the middle of explaining why Laboon is lingering here at the entrance of the Grand Line. From what little he can glean from it, it seems that Laboon had followed a crew on the Grand Line that promised to return for him.

However, rather than keeping their promise, it seems that the terror of the Grand Line had gotten to them and sent them scurrying for their lives leaving Laboon to wait for fifty years. Crocus had attempted to explain this to Laboon time and time again but to no avail. Laboon, unable to accept this, had begun howling at and battering himself against Reverse Mountain ever since. "Wait a minute...so you've been watching over him this own time?" Run finally questions the old man. "For fifty years?"

"I couldn't just abandon him," Crocus tells him. "He's originally from the West Blue but with the size of him now...there's just no going back. All he has left is the promise he made with that pirate crew all those years ago. They are the only friends he has left now."

"Even so, fifty years is..."

"Gum-Gum...!" All heads turn towards the voice, and immediately lock onto Luffy who is sprinting up Laboon towards his nose...with the main mast in his arms. "...Flower Arrangement!"

"Isn't that our mast?" Zoro asks aloud.

"Yeah, the main one, actually," Usopp adds. "So, who's fixing that?" After a moment he quickly says, "Not it."

"Not it."

"Not it."

"Not- damn it!" curses Run, only seconds before the whale slams Luffy into the rocky face of Reverse Mountain which only serves to drive the mast deeper into Laboon's head. He recoils from the pain, and Luffy tosses off a bit of rubble before sitting up with a wild grin. Laboon comes back a second time only to be punched in the eye by Luffy, who follows it up with a kick before being knocked back into Reverse Mountain. However, when Laboon comes back at him a third time, he surprises them all.

"It's a draw," Luffy tells Laboon, stopping him in his tracks. Luffy picks himself up, brushes himself off and firmly plants his straw hat on his head. "I'm pretty strong, huh? I tell that you definitely want to beat me, right? Well, that's good cause our fight isn't over, yet! We're gonna fight again someday soon! Your buddies are dead but I'm not, and I plan to be your rival forever! We're gonna go around the whole Grand Line, and when we come back to see you, we'll finish our fight then! Got it?!" Laboon immediately roars his agreement...

"Haah, gimme a break," complains Run, driving a final nail through the tin plate and into the broken mast with a single blow. It took quite a bit of doing to retrieve the mast from Laboon's head, and carry it back to the ship but...it had to be done. The red head steps back and examines his handy work for a moment before heaving a sigh. "Guess I should start of the figure head while I'm at it." He kneels down and slowly begins stowing the tools back into the tool-box.

"Looks good," Robin compliments him, looking over the work. "Your Captain is...quite the card to do something like that."

"You get used to it," chuckles Run, shutting the lid on the tool box. However, before stands he notices a small glass orb resting against the side of the tool box. "What the...?" He picks it up, and gives it a quick once over. It's got a needle inside of it, sort of like a compass and a leather strap like it's meant to be attached to something or worn. "What the heck is this?"

"Aah, that's a Log Pose."

"Log Pose?"

"It's a navigation tool used on the Grand Line. In fact, it's a necessity for navigation here. See, the islands on the Grand Line all contain an abnormally large amount of magnetic minerals. This makes navigation by standard means, such as a compass, impossible because the needle would only spin in circles. Furthermore, the currents and winds are completely inconsistent which means you can't rely on those either. While it doesn't mean all that much to you or I, Navigator's understand just how horrifying this actually is."

"And a Log Pose isn't affected by this?"

"No."

"So, how does it work?"

"Well, I can't pretend to be an expert on the subject but from what I understand it works by recording the magnetic field of a specific island, and then pointing to another one."

"Huh. Well, that's certainly a nifty little tool but..." He slowly stands, still turning the item over in his hands. "...where the hell did it come from?"

"Is is possible one of those two you threw over-board is the owner?"

"Haah! If that's the case, looks like it's ours now. Come on, let's make sure that Nami gets this." It's a short climb up a rope ladder to the lighthouse where Nami has set up a makeshift table for her maps and compass. No sooner have they reached the top, than a panicked scream echos from Nami. Their Navigator is standing beside the table, staring down at it's surface in horror.

"C'mon, quiet down," complains Luffy, seconds before Sanji, and Usopp make an appearance as well. The cook balances several plates of delicious looking food...leaving the red head to wonder how it is that he ever even climbed the ladder to begin with.

"The compass!" panics Nami. "The compass is broken! The needle is just spinning in circles!" The red head approaches and holds the Log Pose out in offer to her.

"Here, try this," Run tells her. She looks at the item in question for a moment before taking it from him.

"What is it?"

"It's a Log Pose," Crocus tells her before the red head can respond. "And here I thought you youngsters had come here without any knowledge at all." The red head remains silent in response, deciding it best not to confirm the old man's accusations. He explains to them all how it works, and, although it's the second time that Run has heard it, he listens to his explanation none the less. He explains that there are multiple paths across the Grand Line, seven to be exact, and that by recording the magnetism of two islands pulling against each other it's possible to navigate from island to island all the way to the end of the Grand Line...all the way to Raftel.

Of course, the whole time Crocus has been explaining this, Luffy has been stuffing his face and when Sanji notices that he's eaten _everything_ a scuffle quickly breaks out between the two...which results in a broken Log Pose. Nami immediately responds by kicking the two off them off the cape, and into the sea. Normally, Run would have gone rushing in head-first after him, but since Sanji was thrown in with him he decides to leave it to him. "Our precious Log Pose," complains Nami, looking at the shattered remains.

"Haah, easy come, easy go, I suppose," Run says simply.

"There's no need to panic. You can have mine," Crocus tells them. "Take it as my thanks for helping Laboon." Seconds later, Luffy and Sanji, as well as the two they'd thrown over board are tossed up onto the cape with the assistance of Laboon. Sanji immediately abandons Luffy, choosing to help the woman to her feet while Run approaches and helps his friend.

"Aah, I thought I was gonna die!" complains Luffy, standing slowly.

"Wait!" calls the man. "We have a favor to ask!" The man introduces himself as Mr. 9 and the woman as Miss Wednesday and begs them for a ride back to their home of Whiskey Peak.

"Whiskey Peak?" echos Luffy. "That's a weird name!"

"Please! Our ship is busted and we need to get back to our home! We beg you! Please do us this favor!" After a moment of consideration, Luffy nods firmly in agreement.

"Sure, let's go!" They both stare in amazement at him. "You said Whiskey Peak, right? Alright, let's go there!"

"You're sure?" Run asks him. "I mean, according to Crocus we can only pick our path from here."

"Aah, it'll be fine! If we don't like it, we'll just circle back around...!"

* * *

It takes a few hours for the Log Pose to be properly calibrated and when it was finally done the sun was beginning to sink into below the horizon. The crew has gathered on the deck to be seen off by Crocus and Laboon. A wave from the old man, and a roar from Laboon see's them sailing into the distance away from Reverse Mountain...their destination? Whiskey Peak. Their first stop on the Grand Line...


	10. Whiskey Peak: Baroque Works Moves

Well...surprise! I kinda had this one half finished before things went south, so I figured I'd just finish it up and be done with it. After this, however, things will be averaging probably four to five days for a new release. Enjoy, and let me know what you think.

* * *

"What in the hell?" mutters the red head, staring up at the falling flakes of snow. "Wasn't it sunny just yesterday?" Hearing a ruckus on the deck below, he turns his attention down to Luffy and Usopp, both of whom have built their own respective snowman...or snow woman in Usopp's case. The difference in artistic talent is rather plain for all to see, as well, as their sharp-shooter has quite easily blown their Captain our of the water. Of course, when Luffy somehow fire's off a piece of wood from his snowman and destroy's Usopp's the fight is on.

"The weather here on the Grand Line is rather unpredictable," Robin tells him, approaching from his left. She has somehow acquired a heavy winter coat, no doubt a spare from Nami. She stops at his side and looks down at the two running around on deck, engaged in a snowball fight without another care in the world. "Those two seem to be enjoying it."

"Luffy can make the best out of any situation." A sharp wind blows, sending a shiver through Robin's frame that she unsuccessfully attempts to surpress. "You cold?"

"Just my hands." He turns, leaning heavily against the railing as he cups both her hands in his. He begins gently rubbing his palms against her in an attempt to generate some heat. His hands feel so warm, so comforting, so gentle that if it weren't for the callous she'd find it difficult to believe he could crush stone, or wield a sword with them.

"Feel better?" She nods in the affirmative, a small smile on her face. "Robin...are you feeling alright?"

"I feel fine."

"You sure? I mean...you've been awfully quiet ever since we agreed to take those two back to Whiskey Peak. Something on your mind?"

"No, nothing in particular. Why?" The easy and confidence with which she answers has him wondering if perhaps he'd imagined this whole thing. But he's certain that she's been acting a little strange since taking the two of them on board, and they've been just as strange. The two seem to steal glances at her when they think that no one is looking, and likewise Robin seems to be overly aware of the two of them no matter what they are doing. Robin's face is an unreadable mask to the red head, and when it becomes clear that she won't tell him a thing he heaves a sigh.

"Haah, forget it. Maybe I was just imagining things," Run tells her before ducking his head to slowly exhale his warm breath across her palms. Although he says this he has absolutely no intention of letting it be. Something about all of this just seems... _wrong_ to him. Moments later, a scream sounds from the lounge. "What the?!" The red head turns quickly, rushing to the door and reaching out only seconds before it's thrown open. The edge cracks him in the face, causing him to fall back on his ass against the railing and smash the back of his head. "Oh! That hurt!"

Nami ignores him entirely, rushing to the railing quickly. "We need to turn the ship around 180 degrees!" Nami yells at them. "We're all turned around and the ship is going the opposite direction!"

"And how did that happen, exactly?" Run asks, gently rubbing the back of his head.

"I-I only looked away from the Log Pose for a second," confesses Nami sheepishly only seconds before beginning to bark orders that send the crew scrambling across the deck. Even their 'guests' aren't granted reprieve from the work, as Nami quickly kicks the two out of the lounge and onto the deck. The weather is like nothing any of them have ever seen. It changes in an instant from below freezing and snowing to a warm spring breeze that quickly sweeps across the deck, and then to lightning, and raining cat's and dogs, and finally settles on a thick fog.

They dodge ice-burgs, patch holes in the ship and sail and when all it finally said and done...they're left exhausted, sprawled across the deck. "Wha..What the fu...?" mutters Run, bracing himself against the railing of the ship. "You know, I...I don't remember the weather being so..."

"Exciting," Robin says in a tired voice, sitting on the railing behind him.

"Well...that's not the word I would have used but I suppose it'll do." He exhales slowly and then turns to lean back against the railing before crossing his arms. Robin glaces his way briefly before leaning gently against him. "I wonder if we're back on track now." A loud yawn from across the deck attracts their attention to Zoro, who finally appears to have woken up.

"Aaah! That felt amazing," Zoro says, slowly standing up. "Huh?" He looks over the prone bodies of the majority of the crew. "Oi, oi...even if the weather is really nice that doesn't mean you should sleep where ever. I mean, who's steering the ship?" Everyone absolutely radiates hostility at the swordsman while Luffy and Run can only laugh. After a moment he finally seems to notice the two extra bodies they have, and turns to look at the red head. "Oi, Red, I could've sworn that we threw the two of them over-board."

"Aah, yeah, about that..."

"We're giving them a lift back to their own, Whiskey Peak," Luffy tells him. "So, that'll be our first destination."

"Really? What for?" Zoro asks him, turning his attention back to the two. "It's not like we owe them or anythin'. In fact, I'd say they were more of a pain in the ass." After a moment he sighs and cracks his neck. "But, whatever. If it's the Captain's orders." The two of them, who have moved to a sitting position stare up at the swordsman. "Aaah, but ya know, the two of you look like you've got some dirty little secret." They begin sweating immediately. "What did you say your names were, again?"

"A-Ah, I'm Mr. N-Nine," the man tells him.

"M-Miss Wednesday," she replies.

"Yeah," drawls Zoro, grinning from ear to ear. "Something has been bothering me about that...about your names. I feel like maybe I've heard them somewhere before. I wonder where that could have been...?" Seconds later, Nami punches the swordsman in the back of the head, immediately earning his attention.

"You've got a lot of nerve acting like this," Nami tells him. "Especially after sleeping through everything that happened." She proceeds to soundly beat the swordsman for several minutes and when she's finished he has several large knots on top of his head. "Alright! Even after hearing all the stories I'll admit that I wasn't prepared for what happened! I've finally realized just how dangerous this sea is! Unfortunately, it seems that my skills as a Navigator are going to be useless here! But don't worry because I'll figure it out!"

"Ya know, suddenly I'm having some concerns," mutters Run, loud enough Robin to hear only.

"Oh! Oh! Look! It's an island!" calls Luffy from the bow, earning the attention of everyone present. The fog that has surrounded the ship clears momentarily, revealing a strange island covered in mountain sized cacti which numerous growth's reaching skyward from them. "Our first stop! Whiskey Peak!" No sooner have those words left his mouth than Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday leap up onto the railing, say their goodbyes and dive into the sea to swim on ahead of them.

"Aah, looks like we can just sail on in following this river," Nami says looking ahead of them.

"Let's stay on guard," Run tells them. "Never know what might be waiting ahead."

"Waiting ahead?" echos Usopp. "L-Like what? Monsters? Do you think there are monsters ahead?!"

"It's the Grand Line. Anything is possible."

"Well, it's no big deal!" chirps Luffy, grinning like a fool. "If there _are_ monsters than we'll just run away! Simple, right?"

"Oi, we can't just run away," Nami tells him. "We have to wait for the Log Pose to record this island magnetic field of this island! Sometimes it takes hours or sometimes it takes days but if we don't do it then there's no way that we can sail on to the next island!" The thought of potentially having to stay on an island covered in monsters for an undetermined amount of time panic's Usopp, who quickly confesses to the crew that his 'chronic illness' is suddenly acting up...his 'do not go to the island' illness, that is.

Regardless, they sail onward up the river, the fog growing thicker and thicker still until one could barely see a hand in front of their face. Though they can't see anything they can certainly hear things...voices, to be exact, echoing through the fog that surrounds them. "Here we go," mutters Run, watching as the fog begins to clear...and reveal to the crew a whole town of people who begin cheering for them. "What the?"

"We're...We're being welcomed?" Usopp asks aloud, looking around at all the people. They sail forward, surrounded by cheering people until they finally dock the ship and disembark to be greeted by a man with the strangest, curled hair they've seen.

"Wel-" he coughs loudly, unable to finish even a single word it seems. "Ma~Ma~Ma~! Welcome to our town! My name is Igarappoi! I am the Mayor of Whiskey Peak!" Run, noticing that Robin isn't with them turns to look back toward the ship. He calls after her, and after several moments she leaves the ship, walking up the dock towards them. "Whiskey Peak is a town that thrives on making music, and liquor. Hospitality is the pride of our town! Come, allow us to throw you a party!"

Luffy, Sanji and Usopp are all over-joyed at the prospect of this, while Nami, Zoro, Robin and Run are less than thrilled. "Listen, that sounds good and all, but how long will it take for the Log Pose to store this islands magnetic field?" Nami asks him.

"Aah, don't worry about-" Igarappoi stops mid-sentence just as Robin steps up beside the red head. Of course, he launches into a coughing fit seconds later, causing Nami to cringe as a result of his proximity. "Ma~Ma~Ma~! A-Ahh, as I was saying, don't worry about such boring things for now! Come! Let's celebrate...!"

* * *

'Raucous' is the word that could be best used to describe the party thrown for them. Things have been going strong for hours with the alcohol flowing quite liberally, and so far things show no sign of winding down. Everyone from the crew has separated, and seems to be surrounded by the people of the town. Usopp is telling tall tales to entertain the more gullible people, Luffy is busy stuffing his face with what seems to be a never-ending amount of food quickly cooked up for him by a number of chef's, Sanji is flirting with the women of the town, the other four are sitting at a table surrounded by people attempting to get them to drink.

"Now, please don't hold back!" Igarappoi tells them, placing another drink on the table. "Please! Drink up!"

"Well, don't mind if I do!" Zoro and Run say in unison, picking up their drinks without reservation.

"Aah, actually, I'd prefer not to," Nami tells him.

"So, then, I suppose you would prefer not to participate in our usual contest?"

"Contest?"

"Of course! Our drinking contest! The last one standing is the winner, and the winner will receive a cash prize of 100,000 Beli!" Igarappoi tells them, pulling out a large sack of Beli for show. This seems to be all the motivation that Nami needs as she immediately seizes her glass, and knocks it back in less than a second.

"Another round!" Nami yells. "Robin! Zoro! Run! You join, too!"

"Huh?" grunts Zoro in question. "Why should I?"

"You need money, right? We can split it four ways!"

"Pass," Run says simply. "If I compete, I'll win."

"Is that right, Red?" Zoro asks, turning on the red head quickly. "And what makes you think that?"

"Oh, just a feeling."

"Well, I guess we'll just see about that, won't we?"

"Fine, bring it on!" They emptied and filled their glasses without end it seemed, knocking out almost every competitor in the process of doing. Robin, it seems, was the only one who had the sense not to compete. The red head empties is glass without much effort and slams it down on the table.

"Aaah! Fill 'er up!" Run demands, grinning as his cup his filled to the brim.

"Amazing! That guy just finished his thirteenth cup!" A man slumps across the table as Zoro slams his cup down on the table.

"What's wrong? You're slowing down, Zoro!"

"Shut it, Red!" demands Zoro, watching a man fill his glass before he starts drinking again. Nami knocks out two more competitors, and then more, and more until finally only she, Zoro, Run and a large woman in a nun's habit are the only one's left. "Aaah, that's it! I quit. I'm going to sleep." Zoro slumps over the table, leaving only the three of them remaining.

"Aah, you're hopeless, Zoro!" complains Nami, turning her blurry eyes to the red head who appears no worse for wear. In fact, as he slams his glass down on the table, he appears to _still_ be going strong...except for his flushed face you wouldn't think he's had any alcohol at all. "Jeez, are you really a normal person?"

"Another!" demands the red head, grinning from ear to ear. "C'mon! Let's make this a fun party!"

"I...Is that guy for real?" asks one of the men, filling up his glass for him. "Isn't that his twentieth cup? The guy with the green hair only managed thirteen."

"Don't you think you should slow down?" the nun asks him. "For your health, I mean."

"Bahh! Isn't the point of partying not to worry about things like that? Come on, come on!" laughs the red head, urging Nami and the nun to continue drinking with him as he knocks the glass back, draining it in a few gulps. "Aaah! This kind of lively party...it's just like being back with the old man and his crew!" He looks down at the table, noticing that both Nami and the nun are lying across it.

"And we have a winner! The red haired guy has won!"

"Aah? Well, that's no fun!" The red head stands, raising his empty glass as he does. "Come on! Who here thinks that they can out drink me? I'll even give you a shot at the 100,000 Beli! Let's have some fun!" Robin chuckles and stands as well.

"Alright, Run," Robin says, reaching up and taking his empty glass. "I think that's enough for one night. How about a glass of water, instead?" He begins to sway on his feet, and would have fallen if she hadn't guided him to sit on the couch seconds before he passes out. "Or maybe not..."

* * *

"Oi...Oi, Red, rise and shine," calls a voice in the darkness, slowly rousing the red head from his sleep. "I said, wake up!" A sharp slap to the cheek wakes him immediately, eyes flying open and hand reaching out to grasp whoever it is that dared to slap him in the face. He grasps Zoro by the front of his shirt, eye twitching in irritation as he stares at the swordsman. "Awake?"

"That's a really shitty way to wake a guy up, ya know," Run tells him, releasing him. Zoro steps back as the red head stands, slowly looking around the dark room. Except for the crew, it seems that the whole place is completely deserted. "Where is everyone?"

"No idea. But something isn't right."

"Right." The red head motions to a ladder across the room. "Let's take the ladder. We'll get a better picture from a birds eye view." They cross the room and climb the ladder to the roof, stepping out into the moonlight and finding themselves staring down a small gathering of people. Among them is Igarappoi, the two they'd helped back here, a very muscular woman and someone wearing a cloak to hide their identity. "Oh, this looks interesting." From what little they can hear it appears that they're discussing the capture of Luffy and Run...or at least _four_ of them are.

"E-Even if you say that, Miss All-Sunday, there are the order we were given," Igarappoi tells the apparent woman, sweating profusely. "Mr. Zero told us to capture anyone with a bounty who comes through here so-"

"Ooh, sounds like you're talking about me!" calls Run, alerting them to the presence of the two. The next second, a pair of men came running out of the place they were just in, shouting to those gathered that two of the pirates inside were missing. "I was wondering when I was going to be targeted by bounty hunters. Honestly, I'm kinda excited!" The whole town seemed to fill the streets in the next few moments, at least a hundred of them.

"So, this who place is a den for bounty hunters, then?" Zoro asks. "You target anyone who made it to the Grand Line with a bounty before they can wise up, is that it? Jeez, you Baroque Works guys just follow orders without a second thought, huh?"

"How do you know our organization?!" demands Igarappoi.

"I count one-hundred, Red. Plus the five at the front. Ya know, I really wanna test out my new swords, so what do ya say? First to fifty?"

"What, you trying to make up for losing the drinking contest?" Run questions him, slowly cracking his knuckles with a wry grin. "Haah, whatever. I just hope you're ready to lose again."

"I guess there's no helping it," Igarappoi tells them. "Even if it's Miss All Sunday who asks for it we can't let you live if you know about our Organization...kill them!" Though he says that, the two are already gone from the sight of everyone present. They're staring at nothing but an empty roof-top silhouetted by the moon. "Wh-What the?! Where did they go?!" From the group of bounty-hunters gathered, a dull 'thud!' sounds and all heads turn to find the red head standing over the fallen body of one of their comrades.

"That's one, Zoro. Forty-nine more and I win our bet." Loud groans sound at the back of the group and several bounty hunters collapse.

"Don't get too full of yourself, Red," Zoro tells him. "That's five for me."

"Huh. Well, that's no fair. I don't have a sword, ya know."

"Cry me a river."

"Haah. Whatever. It's just gonna be that much more embarrassing when I beat you bare-handed." The group turns and fires at Zoro, who dodges the rounds and results in them only firing on each other. Run uses the confusion to close the distance between himself and Igarappoi.

"Just kill 'em! It's only two men!" demands Igarappoi seconds before a hand like an iron band grasps his shoulder. "Gah...aaah!" Run's strength forces him down to his knees without a delay. Bones grind, and strain under the red head's grip...a little more pressure is all it would take to pulverize them.

"Are you sure you should be saying that, in your current position?" Run asks him, arching a brow. Weapons turn on the red head who simply narrows his eyes in response. If it seems they'll fire he's simply going to sling Igarappoi around and use him as a shield.

"W-Wait! Don't fire! You'll hit me, too!" Seconds later a saxophone appears in the red head's field of view, and by instinct he dodges. When he blows into it, a hail of bullets peppers the nearest bounty hunters, cutting them down where they stand while Run takes cover behind a building...conveniently beside Zoro.

"Was that sax...a shotgun?"

"Seems like it," Zoro tells him.

"Points for originality."

"Found 'em!" calls a bounty-hunter, who appears over head, alerting the rest of them to their hiding spot. The red head kicks the door behind them, and they both dodge back into the house. Unfortunately, this only succeeds in cornering them for the rest of the bounty hunters who appear in the windows and doors, guns raised. Zoro flips the nearby table up, and the two drop down behind it, hiding from the hail of bullets. They are still for only a moment before Zoro nods firmly to the red head and he slams his palm against the table in response, sending it sailing towards the entrance.

They split up there, Zoro charging ahead and Run diving through the nearest window and heading the opposite direction. He charges into the nearest group of bounty hunters, intent on delivering a beating to every single last one of them. Bob, weave, and sway, he's in constant motion, always on the offense, and constantly pushing forward against any defense. It's a way of fighting that requires inhuman stamina, and if it wasn't for inheriting that from his father than he wouldn't be able to do it. He, and Shanks are probably the only Humans who can do it...it is an old Fishman's fighting style, after all.

"Red! Up here!" calls Zoro from a roof-top. The red head leaps into a group of bounty hunters, using the face of one as a stepping stone to reach a roof-top. He quickly scales a nearby ladder, and the kicks it away before anyone can climb up after him. "Whew...these guys are like roaches. No matter how many you kill it's like they keep coming back...I'm on fifty-three, by the way."

"Forty-seven," Run replies calmly. "I guess you win the bet."

"I'll be counting on you to cover my debt to Nami."

"Haah...well, there go my winnings." Both look down at the ground moments later as a large shadow appears behind them. They glance back just in time to see the same muscular woman from earlier swing a whole wooden ladder in their direction. "Down!" He shoves Zoro down...but can't duck in time himself, and catches the full strength of the blow in the side, sending him skipping across the roof-top.

"Red!" The woman tosses the ladder away, and reaches down to grasp Zoro by his throat before lifting him up to eye level.

"He's done," she tells him. "There's no man who can match my strength...now stop trying my patience!" Rather than worry a grin splits his face in response.

"Ya fucked up now, woman," Zoro tells her moments before someone grasps her wrist. Her hand goes numb immediately, and pain follows it seconds later, radiating up her arm like a bolt of lightning. Zoro drops from her grip and she follows the hand back to the red head.

"Wha-" His free hand grasps her by the top of her head, squeezing so tight she's sure something is going to break.

"Ya know, that's the second time I've been knocked down with a cheap-shot," Run tells her, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. "And it's gettin' real old real fast." He increases the pressure...and the pain becomes too much for her, she cries out in a shrill tone he wouldn't have imagined someone so large capable of producing...and then she blacks out. "Hmph." He releases her and turns to face the others. "Now that that's taken care of..."

"Shall we continue, Baroque Works?" Zoro asks aloud.

"Huh, do you think we'll be that easy to be?" Mr. 9 asks them. "You may or may not know this but with members of Baroque Works, the lower your number the best your abilities! Those guys you fought aren't even in the same league as us! That means the three of us-"

"Are wasting time," Run says, interrupting him. "Are you planning to talk us to death?"

"I hate useless titles," Zoro tells them. "The stronger fighter wins in a battle. Isn't it that simple?" A volley of gunfire is their response, as Igarappoi blows into his sax sending the two diving for cover. Mr. 9 comes dashing up the building after them seconds later, apparently far lighter on his feet than they gave him credit for while Miss Wednesday whistles to summon some strange bird.

"I'll take Mr. 9."

"He's all yours then." The man in question launches himself down at the red head.

"Hot Blooded...Bat of Guts!" announces Mr. 9 producing a pair of metal bats and swinging at Run who dodges them simply enough. He slides to a stop behind the red head, bats raised in front of him. "Well? What did you think? Or are you too scared to-" Before he has even finished, the red head turns quickly on his heel.

"Sea King's Lash!" exclaims Run, kicking the metal bat nearest to him, bending it at right angle in Mr. 9's hand.

"W...What?"

"Sorry...but I'm kinda in a bad mood after that cheap-shot with the ladder," Run tells him. "So, you'll forgive me if I don't feel like playing around, right? Still...why don't you show me some more of those acrobatic's of yours?" The man growls in response, and does just that...at least until he flips right off the roof. "Hm. Well, then." The red head looks around for a moment, eventually spotting Zoro in a nearby alley. He drops off the roof, landing several feet away as he does. "Oi, you take care of-"

The boxes behind the red head explode into little more than splinters as none other than Mr. 9 emerges from them. "You...how dare you beat me like that?! I won't forgive you!"

"Ya did it to yourself." He points the unbent bat at the red head.

"Home Run Sneaky Bat!" The end of it fires off at him attached to a chain and quickly wraps itself around one of his arms. "Ha! Now that I've caught you, you aren't going anywhere!"

"You sure about this?" Run questions him, gripping the chain attaching the two of them. "I bent one of your bats with a kick, what do you think I'll do to that arm of yours to get free?" A cold sweat breaks out across the man's face in response.

"Don't even think about it," calls Miss Wednesday, appearing with Luffy and a blade pointed at his throat. "Not if you value your friends life, that is."

"That idiot," complains Zoro. "At least have the sense to wake up in a bad situation."

"Prepare to open fire!" calls Igarappoi, pulling on his tie. A number of gun barrels appear out of the curls in his hair. "Preparations complete! Fire!" He pulls the tie and sends a volley of rounds flying at the two of them. A snarl escapes the red head as he swings Mr. 9 around like a doll in the direction of the rounds.

"What the hell is he?! A toy?!" The chain snaps as a result, and the man barrels into Miss Wednesday, knocking them both down. "Red, I'm going!" Zoro charges forward, uses Luffy's swollen belly as a trampoline and bounces straight up to cut down Igarappoi easily. He collapses in a spray of blood and both men heave a heavy sigh in response. "Alright...that's the end of that."

"It's about time." He slowly unwinds the chain from his arm, pausing only when he's freed himself to look around at all the damage they've caused. They've defeated the bounty hunters and the members of Baroque Works but...it feels like there's something missing. And then it hits him. "That woman with the cloak...where did she go? Did Zoro beat her when I wasn't looking?"

"Oi! What are you on about down there?"

"Aah...nothing. It doesn't matter..."


	11. Exposed! Robin Is Miss All Sunday?

Sorry, sorry, sorry! I was more than a little late with this update, huh? I must've rewritten this thing a half dozen times before I felt satisfied with it, though. Anyway...here it is, ladies and gentlemen. Enjoy, and let me know what you think, as always!

* * *

"How's your shoulder, Red?" Zoro asks, staring up at the moon over head. "You really caught the full strength of that ladder."

"I'll live," Run says calmly, raising the bottle in his hand to take a drink. "But these sucker-punches are gettin' old already." With his free hand he reaches up and rubs his shoulder firmly, attempting to assuage the throbbing pain that's settled in it. "When you were fighting earlier...did you take down a woman wearing a cloak? I feel like we missed one of their leaders."

"I guess I must have missed her."

"Think that'll be a problem later?" The swordsman responds with a shrug of his shoulders. "Well...whatever. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." He finishes the bottle in his hand, and then tosses it over the edge of the building to the street below. From behind them, gunfire sounds on the street below. "The hell?" Both walk to the opposite side of the roof, and look down to find Igarappoi firing away at two people. "Crap. We left Luffy down, didn't we?"

"Yup."

"Princess Vivi! Hurry! Escape!" Igarappoi yells, still firing volley after volley. To their surprise, however, that quickly comes to an end when his body is suddenly struck by an explosion from out of nowhere. Both Zoro and Run blink in surprise, watching the man collasp face first to the pavement.

"Igaram!" shouts Miss Wednesday.

"Did you think that we wouldn't ferret you out?" a man in a red trench coat asks. "That we wouldn't ferret out the spies in our organization?" The man produces two photo's from his coat, and holds them up for all to see. "Captain of the Alabasta Royal Guard, Igaram. Princess of Alabasta, Nefeltarai Vivi. You-" Everyone is surprised when Zoro and Run suddenly leap down from the roof, landing beside their still sleeping Captain and quickly rolling the swollen man across the street.

"Heh, 'scuse us," Run says, pacing backwards after Zoro to make sure they aren't ambushed. "We'll just be taking our Captain and be on our way." They disappear down an alley, away from the fight that they have no intention of getting involved with. They watch from safety as Mr. 9 rushes the two attacking, calling for Vivi to make an escape while he does so. The man he's charging, whom they call Mr. 5, remains still...and begins digging in his nose before pulling out a booger and flicking it at him.

The resulting explosion sends the man sailing down the street. "Wow, that's some dangerous snot," mutters Zoro, seconds before a hand firmly grasps his ankle. "What the hell?! Oi! Lemme go!" Igaram holds tight despite his attempt to shake loose.

"P-Please! Listen to my request, unreasonable though it may be!" begs Igaram. "Please, protect the Princess. Both of those two are possessor's of Devil Fruit abilities! There's no way that I can stop them! B-But the two of you! If it's the two of you, then you can do it! Please!"

"Why the hell would we do something like that? Let's not forget that you were dead set on killing us just a few minutes ago!"

"Please! I'm not asking you to do this for free! If you see the Princess home safely to Alabasta then you will no doubt be greatly rewarded! Please! I humbly beg this of you! Keep the Princess safe!"

"Is this 'great reward' for real?" asks a voice familiar to them, and they glance back to find Nami standing there. "If that's the case, then I'll gladly accept this offer in exchange for...one billion Beli. How does that sound?" Igaram stares at Nami as if she's grown a second head.

"O-One billion?!"

"Wait, I thought you were passed out," Run says, watching her approach.

"Hah! As if I would do something like that in such a suspicious town," Nami tells him. "I was just acting. I could have kept going if I wanted to." Although the red head isn't all that convinced it was an act he doesn't press the issue. "So, what do you say? Your Princess is going to die without our help, you know."

"E-Even if you say that...a mere soldier like myself cannot promise such a vast sum," Igaram stammers. "B-But! If you were to save her, then you could negotiate a deal with the Princess herself!"

"Hah. Meaning I have to save her first." She nods firmly in response and then looks at Zoro and Run. "You two! Go save the Princess!"

"The hell?!" demands Zoro. "Why the hell should we?!"

"Huh? Isn't it obvious? Because you still owe me." Zoro shakes his head and points a finger at the red head in response.

"Nope. Red here is gonna cover my debt."

"100,000, right?" Run asks. "The money is still on the table in-"

"Three-hundred thousand, actually," Nami corrects them. "You borrowed one-hundred thousand, but it was three-hundred percent interest, or did you forget?"

"Three-hun- Are you lending or loan sharking?!"

"I returned what I borrowed!" Zoro tells her. "I never spent a single Beli!"

"That doesn't matter," Nami says simply. "You may have repaid the hundred-thousand but you still owe me two-hundred in interest...BUT I suppose I could call it even if you do this." Her eyes narrow slightly. "Or are you saying that you can't even keep a single promise?" The swordsman groans in response and goes running off down the street.

"Zoro that's the wrong way!" Run yells as he chases after the swordsman. The two cut a winding path through Whiskey Peak, and even if the red head wasn't sure what way to take it would be easy enough to follow the sound of the explosions. By the time they've caught up, Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine have cornered Vivi who is riding on the largest bird that either of them have ever seen...well, excluding the one that they had seen carry Luffy off. Mr. 5 digs in his nose, much to their disgust and produces a booger which he promptly flicks at Vivi. "Crap! Zoro!"

"I got it, Red," Zoro announces, drawing one of his swords as they close the gap.

"Nose Fancy...Cannon!" exclaims Mr. 5. However, rather than striking Vivi, Zoro simply slices the projectile in half and a half strikes behind them on either side as they land in front of her.

"Aaah, I can't believe I cut his friggin' booger!" Zoro appears to be on the verge of a panic attack, being forced to use one of his precious swords to cut through something as disgusting as that.

"It's the two of you again?!" exclaims Vivi, glaring at the two. "Why now of all times?! Don't either of you ever give up?!" She produces some kind of strange weapon, whirling it around a finger as she prepares to attack...only to be stopped by Zoro who cuts the weapon in half with ease.

"Don't jump to conclusions," Zoro tells her. "We're not here to fight, we're here to rescue you."

"Here to rescue you?" echos Mr. 5 calmly. "Aren't you the two who defeated all the lowly bounty hunters who call this town home? Why would either one of you want to do something like saving the Princess of Alabasta?" Both respond with a simple shrug of the shoulders. "Aah, well, I guess it doesn't really matter. You're our enemy one way or another."

" **THERE YOU ARE!** " bellows a voice from behind the two, causing everyone to focus intently on it. Luffy stands several meters away from them, breathing heavily as if he's run a marathon.

"Luffy, we're got things under control here!" Zoro shouts back. "Wait, don't tell me that damn woman has YOU in debt, too?"

"I'll never forgive you, Zoro! **FIGHT ME**!"

"H...HUH?!" grunt Zoro and Run, staring at the man.

"Oi, oi, I think there's been mistake here," Run tells him. "There people are-"

"You shut up!" demands Luffy. "Don't think I don't know you had a hand in it, too! After I've finished with him you're gonna be next!" The red head's eye twitches a bit in response.

"Haah. Well, forget I said anything, then." Luffy cocks back, and launches a punch at the swordsman, who dodges his attack, and then the next one. He chases Zoro around, who does his best to dodge while attempting to explain the situation. "Jeez, can't you just listen to what someone is trying to tell you?"

"In fighting at a time like this?" mutters Mr. 5. "Whatever. Let's just finish the mission." They charge forward, ignoring the wildly swinging Luffy and the dodging Zoro. Mr. 5 cocks back, aiming his attack at the red head. "I'll take care of you first!"

"Sea King's Rush!" The red head drives his knee into the man's face, casting him straight back into his partner and sending the two of them crashing through the wall of a nearby building. Run sighs and rotates his shoulders slowly as he stares at the cloud of dust. "Before you say something like, 'I'll take care of you', you should be sure that you're actually capable of doing it." Laugher from high above the cloud of dust earns his attention, and he looks up to see Miss Valentine floating towards him.

"That was a pretty sneaky attack, Mr. Red Hair!" calls Miss Valentine.

"Sneaky? He was lookin' right at me."

"But it doesn't matter! I've eaten the Kilo-Kilo Fruit, and I'm light enough to float on a gentle breeze! But now it's time to get heavy! I'm gonna crush you!" She begins descending towards the red head, who raises a hand as if to shield his eyes from the sun. He watches her for a few moments before chuckling slightly.

"Oi, blondie, I can see up your skirt, ya know."

"Wh-Wh-What?!" Her face flushes a crimson that would put Run's hair to shame, and she quickly grabs the hem of her skirt. "Y-You per-" She smashes into the ground several feet ahead of the red head who shakes his head slowly in response. He turns his attention to Zoro and Luffy, still fighting in the middle of the street as though there is nothing at all going on around them. A powerful blow from either one of them, separates the two of them, sending them smashing through buildings opposite each other.

"I...I want to run but...I'm not sure if it's exactly safe," Vivi mutters spurring her mount to inch forward. Of course, before she can get too far the two come crashing through out of the buildings, onto the street in continuation of their fight.

"Aaah, I'd say not. I wouldn't wander too far, either." She looks back at him quickly. "Hah?" The red head looks away from the two fighting in the middle of the street, noticing Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine seem to be getting their wits about them once again.

"Damn you," curses Mr. 5, glaring at Run past his sunglasses. "Do you think that we'll let you get away with this?"

"No one takes a peek up by dress!" screams Miss Valentine, face still flushed crimson. "You'll pay for this!" The two rush the red head who sighs in irritation.

"You two are annoying," complains Run. "Get lost! Sea King's Lash!" It's a vicious kick that catches Mr. 5 in the temple, smashes him into Miss Valentine and blows the two of them far away. Of course, when he turns his attention back to Luffy and Zoro he finds that the fight has been ended by none other than Nami. The woman stands between the two looking down at the two of them disapprovingly, hands on her hips. It's certainly an odd sight to say the least.

"I mean, honestly!" Nami yells at them. "What were you two thinking? You almost cost us our billion Beli reward!" She picks the two of them up by the backs of their shirts before looking at Vivi and Run. "At least one of you managed to do the right thing and keep her safe. The two of you should try to be more like Run!" The red head chuckles a bit uncomfortably in response, deciding it best not to tell her he had ever intention of joining the fighting. Even though she's holding them, the two continue their fighting.

"What are you talking about?" Vivi questions her. "Why did you save me?"

"Aaah, it's like this...let's you and I make a contract, huh...?"

* * *

Luffy's laughter cuts through the night, echoing through the otherwise silent streets of Whiskey Peak. He sits cross legged on a barrel, across from Zoro and Run who occupy a pair of crates. After explaining everything that had happened to him...well, it seems as though he can't help but laugh. "Jeez, if that was the case you should have said so!" Luffy tells them, grinning from ear to ear. "I just thought you two cut 'em down cause they made you some bad food!"

"Idiot! _You're_ the only one who would do that!" Zoro yells back. Run simply shakes his head in response. They _had_ tried to explain it to him but he just wouldn't listen...but there's no need to explain all that to him again. No one got seriously hurt, after all.

"Knock it off!" Nami growls, glaring at the three of them for a moment before turning back to Vivi. "So, what do you say? After seeing how strong these three are...it's a pretty good deal, right? I mean, a billion Beli should be nothing to a Princess."

"I can't," Vivi tells her. "I appreciate you saving me but I have to decline."

"Really? But you're a Princess. A billion Beli shouldn't be-"

"Do you know about the kingdom of Alabasta?" When Nami responds in the negative, Vivi tells her all about her home. How it used to be peaceful, and prosperous...but that was all so long ago. Now, the kingdom is gripped by civil war, one that is tearing the country and it's people apart. And, that it is _all_ the fault of the organization, Baroque Works, who is manipulating the people. She tells them that with the help of Igaram, the two infiltrated the organization with the intention of exposing both the reasons for this civil war and the identity of the person in charge. She explains that the man in charge intends to tear down the current rule and in doing so create an 'ideal nation'. And so, she intends to return home as quickly as possible now in order to help her people.

"I see," mutters Nami. "Well, I guess that explains why you can't make a contract with me. There's not a lot of money to be had during a civil war, after all."

"So, who's in charge?" Run questions her, earning her attention quickly.

"The Boss' identity?!" screams Vivi. "How could you ask that?! You saw what happened earlier! Baroque Works will come after you, too, if they think you know!"

"We'll pass on that!" laughs Nami, sweating nervously. "These people are trying to take over a whole country. Obviously these people are insanely dangerous."

"Good! No matter how strong you all are you'll never be a match for one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile!" Vivi covers her mouth with both hands while all four stare at her in surprise. "Aah..."

"You just said it," Zoro points out. Noticing something on top of one of the near by buildings everyone looks over to see a bird and a sea otter sitting there for several moments before flying off into the night sky...much to the horror of Nami, who immediately begins panicking.

"What was that bird and sea otter?!" cries Nami, shaking Vivi violently. "We've only just entered the Grand Line and already we're being targeted by a Warlord!" After a moment she releases Vivi, turns on her heel and begins walking away.

"Oi, where are you going?" Run calls after her.

"I'm leaving! They don't know our faces so I'm running away!" She hasn't made it more than three steps before she notices the sea otter in front of her, holding perfect likeness's of the crew...and then again it flies off into the night sky. "Aaah! Now there's no running away! Why me?!"

"Guess that means all three of us are on Baroque Works hit list now," Zoro chuckles, much to the irritation of Nami.

"Fear not!" calls a familiar voice, earning their attention. Ingram stands several feet away...dressed as Vivi. He has a number of dummies tucked under his arms. He explains to them all that he is going to use himself as a decoy, and sail straight to Alabasta in an attempt to throw Baroque Works off their trail. Naturally, this confuses Luffy since this is the first he's heard of it, but after explaining everything to him he agrees to accept her onto the ship and ferry her back home to Alabasta...

* * *

They stand at one of Whiskey Peak's shores with Igaram's ship of choice moored close by. "Alright! Now, I am Princess Vivi," Igaram tells them. "Now, please give me the Eternal Pose."

"Eternal Pose?" echos Nami, confused. Igaram explains that an Eternal Pose is the same as a Log Pose except that it will always point to a single destination. It will never forget an island magnetic field once it has been stored in it. It's only purpose is for those looking to return to a specific port time and time again. After a moment of silence, Princess Vivi and Igaram say their goodbye's and the man climbs aboard his ship to set sail for Alabasta.

"There he goes," mutters Luffy, watching the ship shrink into the distance. "He sure was a funny old guy, all the way to the end."

"Haah, yeah," agrees Run. Seconds later, there's a flash and a deafening boom. "What the hell?!" Flames illuminate the entire shore, shooting high into the night sky as the what's left of the ship rapidly sinks into the inky depths of the sea. Everyone stares on in shock, unable to believe that explosives had been planted on the ship the whole time.

"That woman...it's...it's got to be that woman!" growls Vivi, staring at the rapidly sinking ship. "She did this! I'll never forgive her!" Vivi runs off without another word, disappearing into the town again. Luffy, unfortunately, follows suit, yelling about how great of a person Ingram was as he does so.

"Damn it! Zoro, I'm going after Vivi!" The red head goes running off in the direction that Vivi had. Of course, since she got more than a bit of a head start he's left without much direction. But that doesn't deter him in the slightest, as he looks down every street he passes. "Damn woman...where are you?!" He turns a corner, and runs right into someone. A feminine grunt sounds from none other than Robin, and the red head manages to catch her before she falls to the ground. "Jeez! Sorry, Robin!" The next second Run finds himself flat on his back, Robin straddling his waist, her body flush against his. "Haah, really think now is a good time?"

 **"MISS ALL SUNDAY!** " bellows a familiar voice, as Vivi passes over the two of them, weapon missing Robin by mere inches. She slides to a stop, turns and slashes at the two of them again. Run slides an arm under one of Robin's legs, arches and rolls them over to avoid the weapon a second time. Before she can launch a second attack Run is on her, one hand gripping her wrist, and the other arm wrapped around her neck. It isn't a tight grip by any means, and certainly not close to the strength he displayed earlier but she can't even manage a wiggle in his grip. "L-Let me...go!"

"When you calm down!" He glances over his shoulder at Robin, who slowly begins to stand from the ground. "Stay still!" Run shouts, causing her to pause for a moment.

"Jeez, what's gotten into you?" Robin questions him, brushing herself off.

"Vivi, she called you...Miss All Sunday." She arches a brow in response.

"And?"

"'And?'" echos Run, eyes narrowing. "Aren't you even going to deny it?"

"D-Damn it! Let me go!" complains Vivi, still struggling against Run. "Miss All Sunday...I won't forgive you! I'll never forgive you for killing Igaram!" He glances down briefly at Vivi...and the next moment, he releases her but still keeps himself firmly planted between them. "You-"

"How long?" He turns to face her now, meeting her gaze firmly. "Have you worked with Baroque Works, I mean."

"Ten years," Robin tells him. "Since around the time you and Shanks left the West Blue."

"So I was right, then. That's where you and I met."

"Your hometown." While this answers a number of questions that Run's had for quite a while now...he decides that there are FAR more important questions that he should be asking.

"Did you kill Igaram, Robin?"

"No. It must have been the Unluckies."

"Are you lying?"

"Yes, I am...to Crocodile, to Vivi, to countless others...but not to you. Never to you." Run is silent for several moments, considering her words. In all of his dealings with her he can't be certain that she's ever lied to him. In Loguetown, when he had asserted that they'd met before in the West Blue she hadn't denied it she had simply remained silent.

"You know we're gonna have to tell Luffy and the crew, don't you?"

"I do." After a moment he motions his head in the direction he's come from.

"Then, let's go."

"What?!" screams Vivi, earning the attention of the red head. "Knowing that this woman is part of Baroque Works how could you invite her back on your ship?!"

"Because she's part of the crew. Now, let's go..."

* * *

Fog wraps the ship, obscures their vision as they navigate the shallow channel back out to open sea. The crew is gathered on the deck, silent as they stand across from Robin and Run. True to her word, the second they had set sail Robin had made her confession, explaining everything to the crew. From her joining Baroque Works to leading Vivi and Igaram to discover the identity of the person in charge, and then unofficially leaving Baroque Works in her pursuit of the crews resident red head...which leads to Run telling the crew about meeting her several times before.

While this isn't exactly news to Zoro, whom Run had somewhat kept in the loop, and who's sharp instincts allowed him to see through flimsy lies...the rest of the crew takes a moment to digest all of this. That said, he leaves a detail or so in his explanation...the main one being their kiss. It isn't until they've left behind Whiskey Peak for open sea that someone finally speaks. "Did you try to kill the funny old guy?" Luffy finally asks her.

"No," Robin tells him honestly. "It must have been the Unluckies. Or maybe even Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine."

"Far be it from me to doubt a woman's word, but how do we know you're not lying?" Sanji questions. "You've lied about a lot of other things, after all, Robin."

"I trust her," Run tells them all.

"Well, you're not exactly an unbiased party, either." Sanji pauses to take a brief drag on his cigarette. "Baroque Works is after our lives. She says she's left it but she can't exactly prove it...which makes it hard to trust her. If we can't trust then we can't have her on the crew."

"She hasn't done anything to hurt someone on the crew," Nami tells them. "Yes, she can't prove that she's left Baroque Works but...there have already been plenty of opportunities for her to hurt us. And according to him, Robin has even saved his skin a few times."

"W-Well, Nami has a point," agrees Usopp. "It may be hard to trust her b-but...she hasn't hurt anyone, yet."

"It doesn't matter what we think," Zoro finally says. The swordsman, sitting cross-legged on the deck with his swords gathered in one arm. "At the end of the day, the decision on who stays and who goes rests solely with the Captain." All eyes turn to Luffy, who is again sitting cross-legged on a barrel, staring at Robin intently. After several moments he hops down, and adjusts his straw hat.

"She's staying," Luffy tells them all, much to the horror of Vivi.

"You can't be serious!" demands Vivi. "She's obviously lying! How can-"

"I've made my decision. She's going to be a member of our crew, and I refuse to accept anyone else in her place. So she's staying." Vivi silent for several moments before finally nodding firmly in understanding, along with the rest of the crew. As Zoro had said, their opinion on the matter doesn't really matter. On a ship, the Captain's word is absolute. "Alright! Now, that that's settled, let's get a move on to our next destination...!"

* * *

"Whew...what an ordeal," Run mutters staring at the horizon. After everything at Whiskey Peak he feels completely exhausted. He's showered, changed clothes and eaten a delicious breakfast courtesy of Sanji...and now that there's nothing to do but whittle away the hours, his thoughts turn to his hometown in the West Blue. Hearing the approach of someone he glances over at Robin who is carrying a pair of mugs. As she draws close, she holds one out in offer and the red head glances at the steamy black brew for a moment before raising it and taking a sip of the bitter liquid.

She leans against the railing beside him, turning to gaze out across the sea. "Thank you," Robin finally says. "For trusting me."

"Well...it's not hard to trust someone when you know they're telling the truth."

"And how exactly did you know that?"

"I don't," Run tells her honestly. "I just...felt like you weren't lying. Call it a 'gut feeling'." He takes another sip of the coffee and then sighs. "So, the West Blue. I had a feeling that's where it was. Of course, I have such vague memories of my childhood home that I couldn't be sure."

"We met there...or, rather, I met you and Shanks there."

"I see. Care to tell me the story?"

"Hmm...well, you were eight when we first met..."

* * *

A/N - Credit to a certain individual for finally kicking me in the behind enough to make me grant the chapters proper titles.


	12. Little Garden! A Contest!

A rumble of thunder follows a streak of lightning through the grey sky...and seconds later begins to rain...again. Robin pulls her arms tighter around her legs, burying her face in her knees. She hates the rain. But just maybe it'll stop before it gets dark. There's still a few hours before nightfall, right? Well, even if it doesn't, she can probably sneak into someone's barn again. Running footsteps pass by but she doesn't move. It's not like anyone can see her, tucked away in an alley between two of two buildings.

How long has it been since she's come here? Honestly, she's lost count. The days are blurring together as she spends them just trying to survive. More running footsteps pass...or more accurately, they come to a halt just at the mouth of the alley.

"You'll catch a cold if ya sit out in the rain, ya know," a voice tells her. Immediately, she lifts her head and stares up at the grinning face of a young boy. The first thing she notices about him is the vibrant shade of red that his hair is, at least what little bit of it she can seen under the straw hat he's wearing. She's never seen _anyone_ with a color like it before. After a moment of staring she looks away from the red head. He's also quite a bit younger than she is. Maybe...eight or nine? It's difficult to judge age on such a young kid. "At least that's what my dad says."

"I'll be fine," Robin tells him simply, trying to end the conversation quickly. She doesn't want to encourage him to stay...in fact, it would be better if he just went as far away from someone like her as possible. She buries her face in her knees again, expecting him to take the hint and wander off...but instead she's surprised when he sits down on the ground beside her. She looks over at him quickly while he simply stares ahead at the wall in front of them. "What are you doing?"

"Um, sitting?"

"I see that. Why here?"

"Seems like as good a spot as any to wait out the rain." Why won't he just go away? She just wants to be alone right now. "So, how come you're sitting out here in the rain? Wouldn't you rather be inside?" With no response forth-coming he just sighs. "My name is Run. What's yours?" Her name? Its just her name, right? And he's the same age at her so he can't know anything about what happened, right? And maybe if she tells him her name he might go away.

"Nico Robin." She finally lifts her head to look at the red head who's grinning at her.

"Nice to meet you, Nico Robin!" His smile is...oddly infectious, and she can't suppress her own as a result. "Why are you sitting out here in the rain?"

"Why are you?" Robin counters, trying to keep the subject off of herself.

"A-Aah, well, see about that, I'm kinda-"

"He's skipping his practice," a male voice says, earning the attention of them both. Standing at the mouth of the alley with a grin on his face is a man with the same vibrant red hair as Run...or perhaps, to be more accurate, Run has the same hair color as _him_. It takes only a glance for Robin to notice that the two resemble each other. More than likely, Run is related to him. It's probably his father.

"I don't wanna practice," Run says, irritably. The man heaves a bit of a sigh, and slowly approaches them. Robin immediately stands ready to flee despite the fact that Run knows him. He stops in front of him and kneels down to his level.

"I know. But you have to. This world is a dangerous one." He takes the hat from Run's head and places it back on his own...of course, as soon as he's does this he finally seems to notice her. "Oh? Who's this?"

"Robin," she tells him, watching him carefully. He stares at her for a few moments longer before surprising her by bursting out into laughter.

"Dahahahahah! So, _this_ is why you don't want to practice? You wanted to spend more time with your girlfriend, eh, kiddo?" Run's cheeks flush a color fit to match the man's hair. "If that was the reason, then all you had to do was say so!" It's certainly a stretch, even for a joke. After all, she's a _bit_ older than he is.

"N-No, it's not like that, Dad!" Run attempts trying to explain the situation to him but the man just laughs harder in response.

"There's no need to be shy! My son is in love! Oh! Come on, come on! She needs to meet the crew, kiddo!" Without giving either one much choice in the matter, and before either of them can do anything to stop him he has them both tucked under an arm, and is carrying them both down the street. It's the first time in her whole life that she can remember _ever_ being carried in such a way.

Once her shock wears off, however, she's ready in an instant for anything that might happen. It wouldn't be the first time she's ever had to make a quick escape. Thankfully it's a short walk to their destination which Robin recognizes at the town's bar...which appears to be rather rowdy if the loud chatter and laughter from inside are any indication. The man pushes the free swinging doors open with a foot and pushes on in.

The bar is absolutely packed! Every one inside has a drink in hand...some have one in both hands. All heads immediately turn towards the trio, and everyone immediately raises their glasses.

"Captain!" they cheer in unison, all faces grinning from ear to ear. Captain? Robin glances up at the man quickly as he begins wading through the sea of people. He doesn't look like Navy, and he merchants usually don't have such a large crew...and they certainly aren't as well armed as these men. So, if that's the case...

"You're a pirate?" Robin asks the man, only seconds before he deposits both her and Run on a stool in front of the bar. If he's a pirate, then even if he knows who she is, even if he's seen her wanted poster he probably won't try to turn her into the Navy...probably. Pirates and Marines don't exactly get along, after all.

"Yup!" chirps the man, grinning as he takes a seat beside Run. "All my life!"

"Me, too!" Run tells her, grinning just like his father. "Wait a second! Dad, I keep trying to tell you she's-"

"Now! Time for introductions!" The man doesn't allow her any chance to object as he quickly goes about pointing out and naming members of the crew. She doesn't get a chance to remember everyone but the few who stand out among the crew are a large, heavy set man named Lucky Roo, a tall muscular man named Benn Beckman, and a shorter man with blond hair named Yasopp. "Alright! Enough with the introductions! Let's party...!" This draws a round of cheers from the men in the bar who seem to drink, and laugh, and joke twice as hard as a result.

The man, who she finds out is called 'Shanks' places food in front of her and Run, encouraging them to eat as much as they want. While she's more than a bit wary of accepting something from a stranger for nothing...he doesn't seem to be a bad person. If anything he seems to be...well...harmless, really.

"I can drink it, too!" Run's shouts, glaring at Shanks who simply laughs in response.

"Drink sake?" asks Shanks. "Why would you wanna drink something like that?"

"Because I'm a pirate! Pirates drink alcohol!" This earns yet another round of laughter from the man.

"No! You're too young for that! Here! A kid like you should drink this!" He places a glass in front of Run.

"Ooh! Milk!" He immediately picks it up and begins drinking it...much to the amusement of Shanks.

"See? See? What kind of pirate drinks milk? Dahahahah!" Run's cheeks flush a color fit to match his hair while everyone in the bar bursts out into laughter. Even Robin can't suppress a bit of a chuckle while the boy rages at his father in response. At the very least it was clear for her to see that the two seemed to get along well. After things settle down between the two the party seems to go into full swing, a blur of food and drink and laughter and joking that leaves Robin's head spinning. It's the first time that she's ever been a part of something like this since Ohara...and everyone truly makes her _feel_ like a part of it. Like she's known them all for years.

Shanks and Run especially make her feel like a part of everything going on around them. The party drags on...and on...and on, and before she knows it the sun has set and night has fallen. Things finally begin winding down, members of the crew being trickling out apparently heading back to their ship to sleep off the days drinking. As pirates she had expected them to simply dine and dash since she didn't believe that the owner of the bar, a younger woman, would have the courage to stand up to them. But she notices that as they leave, each one leaves a number of bills at their place, payment for whatever they ate or drank for the day.

It isn't long before only the three of them are left in the bar. "Aaah...I guess the party is over for today," Shanks says, turning to recline against the bar, elbows resting on top of it. "Well...it was fun while it lasted."

"You say that like we won't be back here again tomorrow, Dad," Run mutters, slumped over the bar, chin resting on his crossed arms. The man chuckles a bit in response and reaches over to pat him on top of his head.

"Alright, kiddo. I guess it's time that we head back, too."

"I should be going, too," Robin tells them searching her pockets. She only has a little bit of money left...but she hasn't eaten that much, right? She should be able to cover it. But when Shanks see her produce a meager handful of Beli he shakes his head.

"Don't worry about it."

"A-Are you sure? I don't have much but-"

"Don't worry about it," he tells her again, standing up and placing some Beli on the bar counter. "I'm gonna head back first, kiddo. I'll give you some time to say goodbye to your _girlfriend_." Again his face turn bright crimson while the man laughs.

"I keep telling you it's not like that!" Run shouts after him, turning to watch him disappear out of the bar. "That damned old man, getting things all mixed up like this." Robin can't help but giggle a bit in response, despite her embarrassment and the heat in her cheeks.

"I-It's fine," Robin tells him. "He's actually kind of funny, isn't he? I've never met a pirate like him...not that I've met any before. I just never imagined a captain being like him. In fact, I find it hard to believe that there's _anyone_ like him anywhere else."

"Yeah, Dad is pretty cool, huh?" Run gushes grinning from ear to ear, as he stares out the door his father has left through. After a moment he catches his mistake and suppresses his smile. "Please, _don't_ tell him I said that, Robin. He'll never let it go." Again she giggles a bit but nods in understanding. It's pretty obvious for her to see that despite Shanks' teasing, and Run's complaints the two are as close as father and son can be.

"So...how come you're here? Are you only active in the West Blue?"

"Aah, well, Rice Village is my and my father's hometown. We're coming here from the Grand Line." Her eyes widen in response. A Grand Line pirate crew? Admittedly she only has a little bit of knowledge about it but she's heard the stories the same as everyone else. It's _the_ most dangerous sea in the entire world. It's a pirate graveyard! A place were crews disappear entirely never to be heard from again! Only the strongest survive in the chaos of the Grand Line. "He says Rice Village has the _best_ sake in the whole world, even on the Grand Line, so sometimes we come back here to get more." All the way from the Grand Line back to the West Blue for a drink of alcohol? What not just order it instead? Run must notice the look of disbelief on her face because he laughs a bit in response. "I know, it's a little strange to think about it but that's just the way Dad is, hehe."

"So...you've been sailing the Grand Line?"

"Yup!"

"Your Dad must have gathered a very strong crew."

"He has! But!" His grin returns, full of confidence as it spreads from ear to ear. "I'm gonna be stronger! Stronger than the whole crew! Stronger than my Dad even! Just like him the whole Grand Line is gonna know my name!" The ease and confidence with which he says it makes her want to believe in him...makes her want to root for him, and she hasn't even known him more than a few hours!

"Well...you might want to practice if that's the case."

"A-Aah. W-Well, ya know, normally, I train really hard with Dad."

"Just not today."

"I just didn't feel like it today." Robin giggles again and his face turns red. "F-Fine! Then, tomorrow!" She stares at him in confusion. "Tomorrow, make sure that you come and watch me! I'll show you that I train hard every day, Robin!"

"Alright. Tomorrow..."

* * *

\- - Present Day - -

"Jeez, did I really say something like that?" Run asks, staring out at the horizon. "Haah, and the old man...well, I wish I could say that I'm surprised but it just sounds so much like him." Robin chuckles softly in response, leaning back against the railing. "Well...I guess things turned alright."

"They certainly could have been worse," agrees Robin. "It's thanks to him jumping to conclusions that I ended up getting to know you."

"Really?" The red head turns to look at her. "You mean that I didn't win you over right away with my natural charm? Come on, be honest."

She turns her head up for a moment as if trying to remember how she felt. "Actually, I think I felt more like...'why won't he just go away'?" The red head can't help but laugh in response. "Well, if it's any consolation..." Robin murmurs, leaning in so that only he can hear her voice. "...you've certainly charmed me now, Run."

"Well..I suppose that I'll just have to make do with that," Run tells her, one arm sliding around her waist.

"Oooh! Robin! Run! You gotta see this! This duck can really drink!" calls a voice familiar to the two. Run lets his head fall forward and resting it on Robin's shoulder while she chuckles a bit.

"We should probably go see what he wants," Robin says, a hand coming up to gently stroke across the smooth skin at the scruff of his neck. "Come on. Best not to keep the Captain-" Her breath catches in her throat when he nips at her collar bone. It's a heady mixture of pain and pleasure that sends a shudder through her. "H-Hey. Knock it off, lover boy." A smooth chuckle escapes the red head as he releases her. "Jeez." She reaches up and gently presses a few finger-tips to her collar bone. "What, are you trying to leave a mark?"

"Maybe," Run tells her, playfully snapping his teeth. He snags his coffee cup off the railing and beings walking in the direction of Luffy and the crew. After a moment Robin follows after him, and the two find almost everyone gathered around a huge tray of blue drinks on the deck below. The duck, who's name they had been informed was Carue, is being serves what seems like an endless number of the blue drinks courtesy of Sanji while the others cheer him on. They descend the stairs to the deck with the others. "Wow, that duck can really _can_ drink." After consuming a few more drinks, it appears as though it's finally reached it's limit, and collapses onto it's back much to the amusement of everyone gathered.

When Robin bends to retrieve one of the drinks from the tray, Sanji intercepts her, holding one out in offer as he kneels in front of her. "Aah! Robin, please, have this one!" Sanji tells her. "I poured my heart and soul into making it just for you!"

"Thank you, Mr. Cook," Robin says politely, accepting the drink from him. Robin takes a sip from the drink, and finds it is absolutely delicious. "Well, it certainly is good." She notices Princess Vivi standing on the deck above them, drink in hand. The woman has been staring daggers at her since leaving Whiskey Peak. In a way, it's understandable. She was a part of an organization that sought the subjugation of her home, after all. "What do you think, Vivi?" The woman snorts in response, and walks away.

"Good to see you two are getting along," Run mutters, watching her walk off.

"Oh, we're simply the best of friends."

"Haaah, with friends like that..."

"Oi! Look! It's a dolphin!" calls Usopp, earning everyone's attention. Off the starboard side of the ship, and heading in their direction is, just as he had said, a dolphin. The creature breeches the surface of the water, and splashes down seconds later...only to breech again, this time leaping up and over the ship, and revealing itself to be absolutely huge. "Oh, that's not good..."

"It's huge!" exclaims Luffy, grinning broadly as it splashes down off the port side, churning out a huge wave as it does so. "Let's go!" The deck is a blur of motion, everyone is running around, setting the sail, manning the rudder, and attempting to make use of the wave generated for them by the dolphin's playing. "Unfurl the sail! Let's ride this all the way to Little Garden...!"

* * *

It hadn't taken nearly as long as they had thought to arrive. Though, that may be in large part to them riding the wave created by that playing dolphin for as long as possible. They sail along the coast of the island. It's so thick with jungle that it's impossible to see more than just a few feet into it from the outside. "So, this is Little Garden!" exclaims Luffy, staring at the jungle.

"Where is the little part, exactly?" Zoro mumbles, staring at the island. "Ah! There's a river up ahead."

"Alright! Let's sail in!" At the captain's orders, they maneuver the ship into the small inlet, and sail up the river into Little Garden. Thick jungle surrounds them on all sides now. A multitude of bird calls, and insects chirping create a cacophony of noise that sets the crew on edge.

"We need to be careful," Robin tells them all. "You should know, that even Baroque Works regards this place as dangerous." Usopp immediately begins sweating bullets.

"H-H-How dangerous, e-exactly?" Usopp stutters out in question.

"Hmm, well, I've never personally visited this place but I do know that it's considered to be uninhabitable. The island is completely lost in time." As if to illustrate this point an absolutely huge bird comes sailing out of the jungle, and over the deck of the Going Merry, nearly taking an enraged Sanji with it before disappearing. It is the oddest looking bird that any of them have seen. Almost...reptilian in look, really. "Dinosaurs still roam this place, as a result. The plants, the animals- everything really is the same as it was long ago."

"How is that possible?" Run questions her.

"Well, the difficulty of travel between islands on the Grand Line has resulted in each one finding it's own way. Some islands possess an incredibly advanced culture while others, for instance Little Garden, have remained lost in time. This is made possible due to the unique climate of the Grand Line itself. From what I know Little Garden is somewhat of an ancient island. I'd wager that not a single thing on this entire island has changed since the days of the dinosaurs."

"Oooh! Dinosaurs!" cheers Luffy, practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. "Let's go! Let's go! I've gotta see some, Robin!"

A loud roar of the starboard side, attracts their attention to the jungle. Moments later, a tiger nearly as long as the Going Merry staggers out into what little bit of open area there is before dropping dead at the bank of the river, blood seeping from several large wounds on it's flanks. "That's not normal!" panics Nami. "That's definitely not normal! How does a tiger, king of the jungle, just drop dead like that?!"

"A-Ah! It's decided!" exclaims Usopp. "We're not going ashore! We're just going to wait here safely until the Log Pose has reset!"

"R-Right!" agrees Nami. "After all, we need to get to Alabasta quickly!" Of course, no sooner have they said that, they Zoro and Run have tossed the anchor over-board and halted the ship close to the bank of the river. Luffy rushes over the railing, laughing to himself as he does.

"Sanji! Prepare a lunch!" Luffy tells him. "One with lots of meat and no veggies! Something to restore energy! I can smell adventure in the air!"

"O-Oi! Where are you planning to go?!"

"Adventuring! I'm going to go adventuring! Wanna come along?"

"May I come, too?" Vivi suddenly asks him.

"Huh? Yeah, sure!"

"Aah, not you too!" complains Nami.

"Yes," Vivi tells her. "If I remain on the ship I feel as if I'll just continue to dwell on all sorts of things." She briefly glances at Robin who only responds with a smile. "But if I go out for a bit I may have a chance to clear my head while the Log Pose resets. Besides, I'll be just fine if I have Carue with me."

"Hmm...he doesn't seem all that thrilled," Run tells her, staring at the frightened bird. Regardless, Sanji heads into the kitchen to whip up a 'lunch of love' for Vivi and even a drink for Carue at her request. As soon has he's finished preparing lunch for Vivi, Luffy and a drink for Carue the three take off, disappearing into the jungle quickly despite Nami's protests.

"Well...since it doesn't seem like we're be leaving for a while, I guess I'm gonna go for a little walk," Zoro suddenly tells everyone, approaching the railing and jumping over.

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea, actually," Run agrees, leaping over the railing. "I'm gonna go stretch my legs. Try not to get lost, Zoro, I really don't wanna run around this jungle looking for you." Before the swordsman can respond to his taunting Robin drops down beside him.

"Think I'll join you," Robin tells him. "It sounds much better than just sitting around waiting. Besides, who know's what we might find?"

"Oi, since you all are heading out, could you try to find something to eat?" Sanji asks them. "We're running a little low on food since we never got a chance to stock up after Whiskey Peak." Zoro and Run exchange glances briefly before chuckling in response.

"Just like a chef to send someone _else_ to do his work for him," Zoro taunts him. "Fine, fine. We'll do all the hard work and catch something you never could."

"Wouldn't want him to strain himself," adds Run, walking towards the jungle. This immediately sets Sanji off, who quickly leaps down behind the two.

"You bastards, I can't let a remark like that go unchallenged," Sanji growls at them. "A hunting match. We'll compete over how many pounds of meat that we can gather. The winner is the man who brings back the largest amount of meat..."

* * *

The jungle absolutely is suffocating, pressing in on them from all sides, and humidity is unbearable. The red head is soaked in sweat, his shirt sticking to him like a second skin. "Aah, this heat unreal," Run mutters, pausing to completely unbutton his shirt. "Aaaah, so much better!" The smallest of breezes sweeps through the otherwise still jungle, although it's over far too quickly for his taste. "So, this island is really populated with dinosaurs?"

"That's the rumor," Robin tells him. Other than the occasional growl from behind them, and the feeling of being followed they having actually _seen_ any dinosaurs since leaving the Going Merry. "What worries me more is that we haven't actually run across one. Oh, maybe we're actually being hunted?" The red head chuckles a bit, and offers a shrug of his shoulders. A soft rustle in the brush behind the two, and a deep growl following earns their attention.

"Finally decided to show yourself, huh?" A pair of eyes peer out of them from the underbrush, and seconds later, a huge saber cat slowly stalks out. It's easily the size of the tiger they'd passed on the river into Little Garden, and its movements are almost completely silent as it slowly circles the two, green eyes never leaving them. It's tawny coat is beautiful, and mottled with the occasional stripe of a light cream color leading down towards it's belly.

"A saber tooth tiger?"

"Dibs on the pelt, Robin."

"Let me guess...you're taking a trophy?"

"Exactly. How many people can say that own a saber tooth tiger pelt?" The red head cracks his knuckles loudly as he watches the saber cat. "Come on, cat. Show me what you've got." No sooner has he finished his taunting than the tiger launches itself at the two, pouncing towards Run, who slides a leg back. "Sea King's Lash!" His kick smashes into it's shoulder, sending it crashing to the ground several meters away. Unprepared for the hit, it struggles to it's feet too little too late as the red head charges it. "Sea King's Rush!" It's a bone jarring impact to the tiger's that sends it smashing head first into a large tree before falling into a crumpled heap at it's base.

"Well done," Robin congratulates him. It's not breathing, blood wells from it nostrils and it's skull is flattened from the impact...it's definitely dead. The red head approaches happily and slings it over one shoulder as if it is completely weightless...that said, it's nose, and gigantic paws actually drag the ground as they begin walking it back in the direction they've come from. "Think it'll be the winner?" Run offers a shrug of his shoulders in response. Robin stares at the large cat as they walk before finally reaching up and stroking her fingers the fur. "Oh. That's rather soft, isn't it?"

"It's gonna make a great trophy. I think I'm gonna hang it on one of the walls in the men's quarters, or I may even try to turn it into a blanket. Honestly, I don't know, yet." Robin can't help but chuckle at the red head's enthusiasm. "Oh! It'd make a _great_ lining for a coat! Now _that_ would be warm! Hmm...wonder where I could get something like that done?" She chuckles again in response.

"A saber tooth tiger coat? That would certainly be fashionable, wouldn't it...?"

* * *

Despite being surrounded on all sides by jungle, it isn't all that difficult for them to find their way back to the meeting point...due in large part to Robin's exceptional sense of direction, and Run's ability to simply muscle through whatever stands in their way. All Robin has to do is stay behind him as he blazes their trail. The closer they get the meeting point the more they become aware of a pair of heated voices arguing back and forth. It can only be Zoro and Sanji. They must have arrived before them. "Obviously you lost!" declares Zoro. "I mean, look at that thing! Mine is bulkier!"

"Bulkier?" echos Sanji. "That doesn't mean it's got more meat! Look at those horns and those plates! _those_ are giving it it's weight! I bet there isn't even five kilo's of usable meat on that thing!"

"Oh, and yours has more? That thing is all sinew! There's no way that the meat is any good! Face it, cook, you lost!" They finally leave the dense jungle for a small clearing, and immediately earn the attention of the two arguing crew mates. He tosses the dead saber cat down on the ground in front of the men. While by no means the biggest of their catch, it does appear to have the most meat on it.

"If we're measuring by how much eatable meat is on our catch then, obviously _I'm_ the winner," Run tells the two. "Mine isn't covered in scales or bone plates, after all."

"Even so, yours should only count for half since you had Robin with you, Red."

"Wha-? I caught that thing myself, Zoro! I killed it fair and square!"

"Yeah, you leave my Robin out of this, she's an angel!" Sanji yells at the man, earning annoyed looks from Zoro and Run in response. Robin watches as the three men launch into an argument over the rightful winner of the contest. Several long minutes pass, and it seems that the argument is going to go on without end, at least until they are interrupted by the loud eruption of one of the many volcano's on the island. "Alright, I have a way to decide the winner! Whoever can capture the next animal and bring it back here before the eruption of the that volcano will be the winner. Do we all agree?" Zoro and Run nod in agreement and when it erupts for what seems to be the final time they all go off in their own direction.

"You three certainly seem to be enjoying yourselves," Robin says, walking in step with the red head.

"Haaah, I guess I am," Run admits, grinning in response. "I get a chance to catch another even bigger animal!" Robin chuckles in response. In the distance, loud crashing sounds again and again, enough to shake the ground under them. "Volcano eruptions and now earth-quakes. This place is pretty lively."

"Aah...do you hear something?" The two stop and slowly scan their surroundings. They can't _see_ anything but they can certainly _hear_ something running at full speed in their direction. It draws closer, and closer, and closer still until at last a yellow blur comes streaking out of the jungle, nearly bowling over them in the process.

"Jeez! What was that?!"

"I think that was...Carue?"

"Well, then, where's Vivi?" The two glance in the direction it's come from for a few moments before looking back in the direction he's running. "Suddenly, I've got a bad feeling about this." Robin nods in agreement. Carue doesn't seem like the kind of pet to just run off without his master...especially in such a dangerous place. "Come on. Let's follow him..."


	13. Baroque Work Defeated!

Hello, everyone! This chapter is going to be kinda short...well, not _kinda_ actually. It _is_ short. I wanted to finish up the Little Garden arc because I am going to be disappearing for around three weeks or so. I'm gonna be heading out to the desert for...well, it's not really important. I won't be able to do anything but work for these three weeks so, I wanted to finish it rather than just leave it as is. But when I return, things should hopefully pick back up! So, enjoy, and let me know what you think! Remember, I appreciate you guys

* * *

They follow Carue's tracks through the dense jungle, which proves to be far easier than either of them thought it would. The violent crashing and shaking continues as they walk, scattering the birds from the trees, and silencing the insects entirely. "This island is pretty lively, isn't it?" Robin remarks slowly scanning their surroundings.

"Huh? Aah, yeah," Run says, focusing more on the tracks they're following than anything. "I wonder where Carue was off to in such a hurry." Pushing onward through the dense underbrush of the jungle, the violent shaking and crashing persists in the distance. The tracks suddenly come to a stop, surrounded by what seems to be two pairs of foot prints which head off in another direction. "What in the...? Did someone carry Carue?" A series of explosions echo loudly through the jungle, and a plume of black smoke floats skyward. "That's not good. Come on."

They plow through the jungle brush moving quickly with Run blazing the trail again. A string of explosions sound, much closer this time and just ahead it light streams in through the brush. It's a clearing! They draw closer, voices beginning to filter in. "That voice...it's Mr. 5," Robin tells him, seconds before they break free of the jungle and come running out into the clearing. Pinned under what is absolutely the _largest_ mountain...skull...bone thing that Robin and Run have ever seen is their Captain, and beside him, Usopp. Scorch marks surround the both of them.

"L...Luffy?" Run mumbles, approaching his pinned friend. "Oi, Luffy." He kneels in front of him, and reaches down toward his neck. Before he's even made contact a firm hand grasps his wrist and Luffy lifts his head quickly to stare at him. "Jeez, Cap'n, you had me worried for a second."

"A-Ah, I'm fine, Run," Luffy assures him. "Did you...see Vivi?"

"No, she was gone when we got here." Robin hears a soft squawk and it's only then that either of them notice Carue. The duck looks as if he's really been put through the wringer. Feathers ruffled, and bill bruised, he still struggles to get on his feet again...succeeding only with the help of Robin. While the bird still seems to be slightly scared off her he accepts her help none-the-less. Usopp groans in pain earning their attention. "You still alive over there, Usopp?"

"B-Barely," complains Usopp.

"We can't...I can't...stand letting something like this...happen!" Luffy tells them. "I won't let them get away with it!" Carue staggers over to Luffy and Run, and when he's beside them he begins jabbing his bill into the earth in front of him, again and again. "You can't stand it either, Carue?" A loud squawk is his response, and it wins a grin from him. "Alright! Then, let's all of us go beat them down!" Run nods firmly in response, a grin appearing on his face as he stands.

"Oi, Carue, Robin," Run says, earning their attention. "The two of you might wanna take a step back." He steps closer to the strange mountain, fingers grazing across his smooth surface slowly. "If it's something like _this_ then I don't have to hold back in the slightest. I'm gonna hit this thing as hard as I can, Luffy...and whatever happens happens."

"Do it, Run!" Luffy cheers, grinning from ear to ear as the red head widens his stance...

* * *

"Yes, yes!" exclaims Mr. 3. "The sorrow, the struggle! All of it is beautiful! You're going to make a marvelous work of art!" The man drones on and on about art! Art this and art that! Honestly, who really cares about his twisted idea of what art is?

"My arm is beginning to stiffen up!" Nami yells.

"My body won't move!" adds Vivi. "What do we do?!"

"Zoro! Do something!"

"Oi, old man," Zoro says, attracting the attention of Broggy. "You can still move, right? Well, so can I. How about we crush these guys?" He slowly draws two of his swords. "If it means escaping so I can kill you all...I'll cut off my own legs."

"Are you insane?!" complains Nami. "You can't cut off your legs! How do you plan to fight without them?!"

"I'll figure it out." He raises his swords, angling them down towards his legs. A deafening boom sweeps through the jungle, and for a second everyone is sure that Mr. 5 has made use of his Bomb-Bomb fruit abilities again. But the man looks just as confused as everyone else who slowly looks around for the origin of the noise.

"Mr. 5, look!" calls Miss Valentine, pointing back towards one of the massive skulls. The web of bone that had made up the side of one of the mountains is now completely gone with a large part of the top of it's skull...it looks as if someone has blow off half of it! "What happened to-" Before she can even finish, a whole group of people comes brusting out of the jungle...only to sail past and crash into the trees on the opposite side of the clearing. When the dust settles it reveals Luffy, Usopp, and even Carue standing there.

"Jeez, what took you all so long!" Nami screams at them. "Any longer and we'd have been goners for sure!" It takes her only a moment to realize that people are missing from the group. "H-Hey, where is R-"

"Oi, where's Red at, Luffy?" Zoro asks, interrupting and irritating Nami.

"Resting after freeing me," Luffy tells them.

"F-Freeing you?" echos Vivi, eyes widening. "That skull d-did he...is he the one that...?"

"Yup! He broke the skull to free me!" Luffy tells her laughing afterwards. "He tends to hold back against normal people, ya know! But if it's something like a mountain or stone then there's no one that's going to get hurt, so he'll go all out! But enough about that!"

"Red Hair broke _that_?" asks Mr. 5. "You expect us to believe a lie like that?"

"Huh? Aah, well, it's not really a lie. He punched it and it broke. But it doesn't really matter if you don't believe me because..." He turns to face the gathered Baroque Works. "...I'm gonna kick your ass now!" Before he can even take a single step, another figure comes running out of the jungle. "Aah? Hey, Run! Help 'im out while I-" Mr. 5 glances back seconds before something heavy lands on his face, sending him falling back towards the earth. He stares up at the red head, geta smashing into his face as he uses him as a stepping stone.

"Oi, 'scuse me!" calls Run, leaping the distance to the strange structure. "Sea King's Bite!" His punch strikes the pillar supporting the spinning pumpkin, shattering it on contact. "Oooh, crap!" complains Run, tumbling down one layer, and a second before finally striking the ground in a shower of hardened wax.

"Jeez, you could have crushed us with that thing!" complains Nami. "Can't you be more careful?!" Run stands, dusts himself off and circles around the structure to stand by Luffy, ignoring Nami's complaining as he does so.

"If you were so concerned then why didn't you move?"

" **LIKE WE COULD! WE'RE STUCK IN THIS THING!** "

"U...Unnh, I...I can't move," mutters Vivi. "What's...happened?"

"You fools! With the candles closer you've actually sped up your hardening!" laughs Mr. 3.

"What the hell is happening?!" asks Run.

"He's trying to turn us into wax figures!" Nami shouts back. "What the hell does it look like? Just hurry up and destroy this thing!"

"Think I'll let you?!" screams Mr. 3. "Wax-Wax Arts! Harpoon!" He launches the waxy projectile at the two, and in doing so leaves himself up for Usopp who fires one of his exploding stars at the man. Unfortunately, before it can connect it's eaten by Mr. 5, leaving Luffy and Run to dodge on their own.

"I'm gonna crush you into nothing! 10,000 Kilogram Press!" exclaims Miss Valentine from over-head, dropping out of the sky towards the red head. Run rolls out of the way, quickly passing backwards from the blond as she emerges seconds later from the rubble, floating on the breeze again.

"Damn it," mutters Run, watching her float away and out of reach...and noticing only moments later that Luffy is standing completely still. "Oi, Luffy! You go take care of them, I'll take care of-"

"No," Luffy says bluntly.

"H...Huh?"

"I don't feel like saving them."

"You don't...are you stupid?! Go save 'em!"

"No."

"It's no use! I'm afraid your friend has already fallen into a trap, Red Hair!" calls Miss Valentine, floating high above them. "Look at the black paint on the ground below him!" All eyes turn to the strange black symbol drawn under their Captain, unsure how long it's been there. In doing so, Usopp is nearly ambushed by Mr. 5 but managed to scramble off into the jungle with Carue, leading the man away. "No matter what happens your friend is going to want to betray you!"

"Color Trap," speaks Miss Goldenweek still munching away on a cracker. "Betrayal Black."

"Are you serious?!" complains Run, barely noticing Miss Valentine dropping from the sky again in time to avoid her. Before he can get to her she's caught another up-draft and floated off into the sky, yet again out of the reach of the red head. "Damn it! She's like a damn mosquito!"

"So...he'll do the opposite?" mutters Vivi. "Luffy! Stay absolutely still! No matter what don't leave that spot and don't help us! We've got everything under control!" After a moment, he does just the opposite, stepping off the black paint. "Yes!" Of course, the moment he's free of the black paint he begins laughing hysterically, a symbol of yellow drawn on his back. "No!"

"Laughter Yellow."

"Run! It's on his shirt! Strip his shirt!" Run starts his his direction but is forced to dodge by Miss Valentine, yet again. "Damn it!" He rolls away from another attack, and watches as she floats back up quickly.

"How am I gonna...?" It's a fairly straight forward way of fighting. It doesn't require much know how to crush someone, after all. All she has to does is see them, really. The more he thinks on it the more it becomes clear to him just how to counter what she's doing. She comes smashing down again, and he dodges back. When the dust in front of him clears it's to reveal a shirtless Luffy, and a beaten Usopp and Carue. Close by stands Mr. 5, a strange weapon in his hand. "Haah, guess you're finally back in the fight, Luffy?"

"Yeah! I owe it to Usopp and Carue," Luffy tells him. "Now, let's hurry up! We need to take care of these guys."

"Right, Cap'n."

"Do you really think that things are just going to go your way?" asks Mr. 3, stomping out of the jungle to reveal himself wearing some kind of strange wax suit of armor. "Candle Champion!" Luffy is completely distracted by the armor, and it takes Usopp to bring him back. Seeing the weapon in Mr. 5's hand, the red head smiles as a plan begins to form quickly. Mr. 3 charges, and attacks, forcing them to dodge quickly and in the confusion the red head rushes Mr. 5 who notices immediately.

"Damn Red Hair!" growls Mr. 5 pointing his weapon, only to have his vision obscured by the man's shirt. "What the-" A pair of hands close around his out-stretched arm, changing the direction of the weapon and forcing him to pull the trigger before he can resist it. Miss Valentine yelps in surprise as he umbrella is blown to pieces and she plummets to the ground quickly. "You damn-"

"Sea King's Roar!" Run exclaims, jamming shoulder, elbow and palm into the man and sending him tumbling across the ground. Miss Valentine quickly begins to push herself up and when she does she finds herself staring down the barrel of Mr. 5's weapon, held by Run.

"Wait-" A sharp blow to the back of her neck immediately knocks her out and Run shakes his head.

"Like I'm the kinda degenerate that'll shoot a woman."

"Oi! I figured it out!" Usopp yells, earning everyone's attention. "The wax is hard but it's still wax! We can melt it!" Upon saying this he gives one end of a rope to Carue, and sends the bird running around the wax structure and statues. "Flame! We need a flame!"

"Oi, I got one!" Luffy tells him, grasping Mr. 3 by the end of his flaming hair and running him over to ignite the apparently oil soaked rope. No sooner has it gone up then Run feels someone grab hold of him from behind, pinning his arms to his side.

"You've really pissed me off now!" growls Mr. 5. "I'm gonna kill you with my Full Body Exploding! Not even a single bone fragment is gonna be left!"

"I don't think so," speaks a familiar voice, as Mr. 5's head his wrenched back by his chin.

"Flaming...Oni Giri!" exclaims a familiar voice, seconds before Zoro barrels out of the fire, cutting down Mr. 5 in an instant. The man drops to the earth, lying motionless while Zoro slowly sheathes his swords, and then turns to face him, and Robin who appears behind him. "Took you long enough, Red."

"Haaah, I liked you better as a wax statue," Run tells him, and the two share a small laugh. "How did it go? Did you find what you were looking for?"

"No, unfortunately," Robin says. "I couldn't find a Log Pose..."

* * *

Everything seemed to be heading for one big, giant happy ending...no pun intended. Luffy went off chasing Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek, and returned when he'd done so. Around the time he'd returned the giant, Dorry, seemed to come to in the middle of Broggy's crying. It shouldn't have been as big as surprise which they examined what happened. The man had slipped, Broggy had landed a shallow blow and the weapon itself was as dull as butter knife. So, after patching up his friend, they all gathered around to celebrate...with a small pack of rice-crackers.

Robin took this time to explain her absence in the fighting to Nami, Vivi and Zoro. While Luffy, Usopp, Run and Carue had gone off to fight, she had gone to look for Mr. 3's hide out. She was almost sure he would have constructed one to stay here on Little Garden, and if he had then they needed to find it. It could contain all sorts of useful information, and, hopefully, a Log Pose. Unfortunately, the man's hide it didn't have what she was looking for...so they were back to square one it seems.

Still, Run assures her that finding the hide-out in the middle of the jungle certainly praise worthy. "Even so, I'd preferred not to have returned empty handed," Robin tells him, sitting on a log next to him.

"Aah, there's no need to be upset," Luffy tells her. "It's not like its your fault. Aaah! That's _my_ cracker!" Usopp and Luffy roll around on the ground, arguing of rice-crackers. Upon finally noticing that Nami isn't wearing anything more than a bar on her top, the red head tosses his shirt to her.

"Put that on," Run tells her, and surprisingly she slips it on with no complain.

"Aaah! Nami! Vivi! Robin!" calls a familiar voice as none other than Sanji comes wandering out of the jungle. "I'm so glad to see you all! And there you other bums are, too!" This immediately earns glares from Zoro, Usopp and Run.

"It's about time, cook," complains Zoro. The man takes a seat on one of the logs, and explains to them that he, like Robin, had managed to locate Mr. 3's hideout...apparently it wasn't all that well hidden. He tells them that had just had a talk with none other than Mr. 0, and that he had informed the man that all of them had been killed, and that they are no longer being hunted now. "Jeez, is that why you dodged all the work?"

"I also found _this,_ smartass!" Sanji tells him, holding out a small hour-glass like object.

"An eternal log pose Alabasta!" exclaim everyone in unison. The man blinks in confusion while everyone else celebrates.

"Now that we have this, let's get going!" Luffy tells them. "On to Alabasta!"

"Oi, you two," Sanji says, earning the attention of Zoro and Run. "I hope the two of you having forgotten about our hunting contest."

"Aah! That reminds me!" says Run, turning to face the giants. "You two said that you'd help us with anything we needed, right? Well, here's the thing..."

* * *

"Mine's bigger!"

"And I'm telling you _mine_ is bigger!"

The two haven't stopped their arguing since returning to the Going Merry, and they show no signs of slowing down now. Run, on the other hand, seems to be on cloud nine as he inspects a pelt big enough that it touches the ground from the railing he's got it draped over. "I knew this was a good decision," Run says, arms crossed and grinning as he inspects the fur.

"You really wanted that trophy, huh?" Robin says.

"You bet! It may not be the one I killed but...it'll do." Zoro and Sanji continue their arguing in the background, only coming to an end when Nami tells them that it doesn't really matter because they'll never be able to take all the meat from their catch. She succeeds in scaring them into getting back onto the ship, weighing anchor and setting the sail. They sail down the river, out towards the open ocean. At the mouth of the river, they see both giants, Dorry and Broggy waiting for them.

"There's one more thing standing in your way," Broggy tells them. "No matter what happens, just keep sailing straight ahead." No sooner have they finished telling them this then the sea begins to swell in front of them. The waves part to reveal a gigantic gold fish easily the size of any island.

"Look at the size of that goldfish!" exclaims Luffy, grinning from ear to ear.

"We need to turn!" Nami tells Luffy, recieving a firm shake of the head in response. "There's no way this is going to be ok! Luffy-"

"Sail straight ahead!" shout Usopp and Luffy in unison, even as it's mouth opens and they begin to sail in.

"Haaah, well...whatever happens happens," mumbles Run, reclining against the railing of the ship. The jaws of the fish slam shut behind them as they sail on down it's throat. They haven't been inside for more than twenty seconds when suddenly a hole is blown in the fish's gut, sending them flying out and away from the island.

"Yeeeeaaaah! On to Alabasta...!"


	14. Red Sick! Find a Doctor!

Heeey! Everyone, I'm back now! Sorry for the long wait but it took me longer to get back, and even longer to get settled back in after my little trip into the desert! But I digress! I'm back, and I plan to start updating again as often as I can! With that said, here's chapter fourteen! Enjoy!

* * *

Bound for Alabasta and leaving Little Garden behind, everyone seems to be in high spirits...or rather, Usopp and Luffy are in high spirits. The two dance around on the deck, singing about giants and Elbaf as they do so. Carue runs back and forth across the deck, in as high a spirits as the other two, it seems. Zoro working out by himself intensely, and near the bow of the ship, Robin is relaxing in a deck chair under a large parasol, reading a book. Robin scans the deck again but...Run isn't anywhere to be seen.

In fact, she hasn't seen him even once since leaving Little Garden. He's missed lunch, dinner and even this morning's breakfast without so much as a word as to why. Of course, he might still be a bit worn out after fighting with Baroque Works...but even so, she's still concerned about his absence. If he doesn't turn up before lunch then she'll simply good looking for him. She turns the page of her book, not truly focused on it's contents so much as she's focused on what's going on with Run.

"Robin~! I've brought you sweets!" calls Sanji from behind the woman, approaching with a small tray of sweets in hand. "I put my heart and soul into making them absolutely delicious just for you!" He places the small tray on the table beside her, showing off an assortment of small pastries. "There's also a choice of tea or coffee."

"Thank you, Mr. Cook." High on a kind word from Robin the man starts back towards the kitchen only to be stopped. "Have you seen Run lately?"

"Aah? Not really. Last I saw, he was still asleep in his hammock."

"I see." Even though her face doesn't give it away, her tone of voice does. Sanji takes a drag on his cigarette and exhales slowly.

"I'm sure he's just tired, that's all. I mean, if you're gonna be dumb you've gotta be tough, right?" A familiar chuckle sounds, and Robin looks back to see said red head walking in their direction. He's wearing a pair of grey sweat-pants, a dark colored a-shirt and...are those fuzzy slippers? It appears to her as what he sleep in.

"I suppose one of us oughta be, Cook," Run says simply, ignoring the irritated look he receives in response.

"Huh. See? I knew he'd eventually smell the food and drag his lazy ass outta bed." Run takes a seat across from Robin, reclining back in it and closing his eyes. "Yours are in the kitchen. Don't even think of eating the sweets I prepared especially for Robin!" The red head simply nods in response, and Sanji walks away, leaving the two alone.

"I guess you really were tired," Robin says, earning another nod of the head from him. His face is flushed, his breathing uneven and he's sweating so heavily that it's completely soaked his shirt and hair. Something is definitely wrong besides just being tired. "Are you alright?"

"I'm alright, I'm just tired," Run tells her, voice lacking the strength it usually possesses.

"You don't seem alright." Without warning the red head feels a cool palm pressed to his fore-head, the arm sprouting out of the back of the chair itself. Her eyes widen slightly on contact with his skin. "Jeez, you're burning up, Run!" He casually brushes the extra hand aside, and flashes her a reassuring smile.

"It's nothing, Robin." He stands, on unsteady feet by the looks of things, as he uses the table to brace himself. "I think I'm gonna go lie back down." Robin closes her book, and quickly stands as well.

"Then I'll walk you back."

"Thanks, but I'll...be fi..." He pitches forward moments later, and would have fallen flat on his face if Robin hadn't caught him before he could.

"Run!" She quickly lowers the unconscious red head to the deck, and kneels at his side. "Everyone! I need a little help...!"

* * *

With the help of Zoro and Luffy, they manage to get Run off the deck and into a bed to rest...Robin's bed to be exact. The whole of the crew gathers in the room, around the red head's bed while Robin tends to him. "It's not that uncommon," Vivi tells them, watching Robin place a cool damp rag on the red head's forehead. "Sickness brought about by the abnormal weather of the Grand Line is an unavoidable part of traveling it. There are stories of tough pirates being brought down by such illness. In such cases, even the slightest bit of carelessness can make any sickness fatal."

"I am _not_...sick," Run grumbles, earning a soft chuckle from Robin at his stubbornness. "I _do not get_ _sick_."

"Is there anyone on the ship who has any medical knowledge?" Vivi asks, ignoring the red head for the moment. All heads immediately turn to the Navigator.

"H-Huh? Hold on, I just know a few things," Nami tells them. "I'm not exactly a doctor, you know."

"What about giving him some meat?" Luffy volunteers, grinning. "Eating meat makes sickness go away, right, Sanji?"

"Well...I _can_ make some basic food for sick people but that's more on the nursing side rather than treatment," Sanji tells him. "Plus, there's no guarantee that it would actually help him. There are a lot of different meals meant for different types of sickness. What kind of nutrition he needs, what he's lacking, what are the symptoms...I'm not qualified to make that call. I'm not a doctor."

"Then, just make it _all_ for him! He can eat it _all_!"

"Aah, not to interrupt, but his fever has gone up again," Robin tells him, staring at the thermometer. "It's at 40 degrees celsius now. He needs to see a doctor immediately."

"There'll be doctors at Alabasta, right?" Usopp questions Vivi. "How much longer will it take until we get there?"

"If we stay on our current heading then it should be around a week," Nami tells them.

"He won't last that long if he fever keeps going up," Robin says, pulling the blanket up to Run's chin. "He needs to see a doctor now."

"I do _not_...need a doctor," protests Run.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news but we may not have the time," Nami says motions to the newspaper on the dresser across the room, which Vivi immediately retrieves. She reads aloud one of the articles which tells them all that a great number of the Alabasta Royal Guard has defected to the rebels side. "The paper itself is three days old...I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to worry."

"If things are about to kick off...then we need to pick up the pace." Run leans up with a bit of a grunt, removing the rag from his head and tossing it aside. Robin places a hand on his shoulder, attempting to gently push him back into the bed but he brushes her off and swings his legs over the edge of the bed. "I'm not about to be done in by some common cold. So let's keep moving to Alabasta."

"Run, you need to see a doctor," Robin tells him. "Alabasta can wait."

"Alabasta can wait?" echos Vivi. "How can you say that?! Those are my people! They're-"

"Not my concern, Vivi," finishes Robin flatly. "If you think for even a moment I care what happens to Alabasta or it's people before I care what happens to Run then you are sorely mistaken. Princess or not, you need to learn that this world does not revolve around Alabasta." This immediately spawns an argument between the two. The red head scrubs a palm across his sweat slicked face in irritation.

"Enough!" Run snaps, silencing the two. "Luffy is the Captain, and he's given his word, and made his decision..." He pauses for a moment to stand. "..so, our destination is set, and we forge on. End of discussion."

"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" Luffy asks his oldest friend, concern etched into his face.

"Haah, gimme some credit, Luffy. Like some common cold is gonna be the end of me. I'm good to go, Cap'n." Saying this, he calmly walks out of the room and back to the deck where Zoro is sitting, watching one of the clouds in the sky.

"Feeling better, Red?" Zoro asks, not pausing in lifting the weight in his hand.

"I'll live." He leans against the railing, staring out at the horizon past the bow of the ship. The others slowly join them on deck, and almost immediately Nami begins yelling at Zoro for leading them off course. It turns out that the swordsman was following the same cloud he was watching.

"Clouds change shape and move, Zoro!" Nami yells at him. "Aah...the wind..."

"Feels good," murmurs Run, turning his head up slightly.

"It's shifted. Oi! Everyone, come here!" Sanji is the first one to come running at Nami's command, and when the others gather around she immediately begins ordering them about. She tells them all that she senses an immense wind heading in their direction, and that they need to be ready. Not feeling exempt from the task at hand, Run helps as well, tying down what they have to getting the ship back on course. No sooner have they finished then Vivi finally makes an appearance on deck as well.

"Everyone, please, I have a request to make," calls Vivi earning their attention. "I know that I'm just a passenger on this ship, and it's not my place to ask but...my home country is in a terrible state right now, so we need to hurry ahead as quickly as possible! I don't want to waste even a single minute! I want us to head their as fast as the ship will carry us...so, in order for that to happen, lets find an island with a doctor right away!"

"Alright!" cheers Luffy. "Let's find a doctor and go full steam ahead!"

"Aaah! Look!" calls Usopp suddenly, attracting their attention to a huge cyclone off in the distance. They have just barely avoided running head first into it...if it weren't for Nami's navigational skills it could have been an absolute disaster.

"Let's go! We'll find an island on the way...!"

* * *

To Run's credit, anyone else would probably have ended up bedridden again by now. His fever has been rising as steadily as the temperature has been dropping, and neither one shows much chance of stopping. It's even started to snow, and to make matters even worse, they haven't seen a single island yet. Everyone has donned their winter clothing to keep warm as they sail on into the on coming night in the hopes that they might find one, and with it a doctor. Though he hasn't been running around on deck like the others Run has pulled on some warmer clothes, too.

Opting for a wool pea-coat, a pair of boots, and jeans. Despite that, he's staying put in the ships lounge for the time being, slumped over the dinning table, arms crossed and eyes closed as he rests. "You really should be in bed, you know," Robin tells him, earning a weary chuckle from the red head in response.

"I'm fine," Run assures her. "Honestly."

"Yeah, you're honestly full of crap," Sanji retorts, placing a cup of something in front of Robin and then Run. "You should start taking other peoples advice, or you're gonna end up getting worse." The red head leans up and reaches out for the cup, pulling it close to examine the contents.

"What is this?"

"Hot chocolate. Robin looked cold so I made some...yours is just what was left over." He chuckles again in response.

"More of a coffee guy but...whatever." He picks up the cup and takes a sip from it. As usual, anything Sanji makes is delicious, and this seems to be no exception...left over's or not. "It's good." No sooner has he finished speaking then the ship begins to violently pitch and roll. "What the hell is going on out there?!" The three storm out of the room onto the deck, and almost immediately find themselves surrounded by men with weapons pointed at them. "Haah, well, this isn't good."

"Eight?" calls a fat man covered in tin plates. "There can't only be eight of you on board this ship." Behind the man who appears to be the leader is the oddest ship that any of them have ever seen. "Well, whatever. It's not like it really matters. Instead, let me ask you folks something...we're looking for Drum Island, so you wouldn't happen to have a Log Pose, or Eternal Pose, would you?"

"Never heard of it, actually," Nami says, sliding her hand behind her back to hide the Log Pose.

"Aaah, that's unfortunate."

"If that's all you wanted then get off my ship already!" Luffy yells at the man.

"Now, hold on a moment. I'm a little hungry, actually." The man immediately turns, and to their utter amazement takes a bite out of the Going Merry. Luffy doesn't even hesitate to launch himself at the man.

"Jeez, why didn't we do this from the beginning?" Zoro complains, cutting down a slew of pirates surrounding him. The pirates surrounding Robin and Run raise their weapons, and the red head tenses in preparation for a fight only to relax when their heads are wrenched back by their chins.

"Sorry, but I've got more important things to do than fight with you," Robin tells them. Their weapons clatter loudly against the deck as they drop them in their pain, hands reaching up towards their heads in an attempt to free themselves.

"Stop eating my ship!" Luffy screams, as the man turns and actually bite down on him, appearing to swallow him whole.

"Hmm, I don't like this," the man says. "It's too tough and chewy." Though the man has swallowed Luffy, he hasn't swallowed their Captain's arms which are stretched out far behind him...and come barreling towards him in the middle of his chewing.

"I said...get off my ship!" bellows Luffy moments before the man is struck, freeing him and sending the man sailing off into the distance much to the amazement of the rival crew. They immediately abandon ship, running back to their own to chase after the man without a second thought. "That tin guy! I can't believe he would take a bite out of my ship!"

"He must have eaten a Devil Fruit, Luffy," Run says, descending the stairs to have a closer look at the damage. "I'll take care of it."

"No, I can do it," Usopp assures him, approaching the damaged side of the Going Merry.

"Fine, you can help me then..."

* * *

It's getting colder, and colder with no signs of stopping. It's a surprise that ice hasn't begun to form on the deck of the Merry, honestly. It's another night down, another night with no sign of an island, and thus no sign of a doctor for the red head...whose fever is still going up. "Should have done a lot more than just punch the bastard," Run mutters, driving one nail after another and being careful not to smash a finger. Between Usopp and himself it's going to take a whole day to fix the damage done by the tin man...they really need to find a proper shipwright.

"Does anyone else find it strange that everything seems to be so calm," Usopp questions, holding a plank in place for Run to drive a nail in. Despite being cold, the sky is completely clear and the sea is calm. "I guess strange weather like this is pretty calm on the Grand Line, huh?"

"Not necessarily," Robin tells them. "It's more likely because we're getting close to an island." Robin turns to look up at the crows nest which Sanji is currently occupying. "Mr. Cook! Would you do me a favor and scan the horizon carefully? A winter island is near by, I'm almost sure of it."

"Winter island?" echos Run, driving a final nail before standing. "What the hell is that?"

"Well, there are four basic types of islands to be found along the Grand Line. Summer, autumn, winter and spring, and each one has four seasons of it's own. So, there are actually a total of sixteen seasons to be experienced in traveling from island to island. From summer island summer to winter island winter and so on."

"So, every island is like that?"

"No, there are exceptions to these rules."

"That explains the rough seas, at least. With all these different islands, each one having it's own unique climate, it's only natural that it would affect the seas between them." Robin nods in the affirmative, watching the red head begin stowing the tools back in the tool box.

"Exactly. That's why when the weather mellows out, it usually means that an island can be found near-by."

"Yeah...I see one!" Sanji calls, earning their attention. "Oi! I see an island ahead! We've finally found one!" Luffy comes bursting out onto the deck, and runs right up to the figure head to seat himself on it. He appears to be on cloud nine, staring at the snow covered island.

"An island!" cheers Luffy. "Look at all the snow! It's a snow island, huh?! Wow, everything's all white!"

"Oi, we're not here for adventure, you know. We're here to find a doctor, and then we're moving on." Robin and Run approach the bow of the ship to have a look at the island in the distance. It is completely covered in snow, and has a number of strange mountains that almost resemble large tree stumps.

"Aaah, I can't wait to get there! I love snow!"

"How are you not cold, Luffy?" Run questions his friend...who finally seem to realize how cold it is. He immediately runs to get a winter coat while the ship pushes on towards the island, eventually finding a small river that allows them to sail inland. Ahead of them, their path comes to an end at a small waterfall which dumps water from freshly melted snow into the river. "Looks like the end of the line."

"We should be able to set anchor here," Sanji says. "So...who's going doctor hunting?"

"I'm going," Robin says quickly.

"Me, too!" chirps Luffy.

"I guess I'll come, too," Nami tells them.

"I will as well," Vivi adds.

"I'm coming, too!" Sanji tells them. "If Nami, and Robin and Vivi are going then-"

"Haaah, no thanks, Cook. You can stay," Run interjects bluntly, earning a dirty look from the man.

"Thats far enough, pirates!" calls a loud voice, attracting their attention to the banks of the river, and the people surrounding them completely on all side. Each one of them has a weapon in hand, and points it squarely at the crew gathered on deck.

"Haah, gimme a break." From those gathered, a large man wearing some kind of strange armor on his arms, steps forward.

"Attention, pirates," he calls, earning their attention. "You will leave this place at once! You are not welcome here!"

"We came to find a doctor!" Luffy retorts.

"Please! We have a sick person on board!" Vivi adds. The people don't seem to believe a single word out of their mouths.

"Man, they really hate us," mutters Sanji. "And we've only just met-" A gunshot sounds, and a round strikes the place Sanji was standing only moments ago. "You did not just do that!" Before he can charge the man, Vivi catches him, blocking his path. A second shot sounds...and Vivi tumbles to the deck much to the utter shock of everyone present.

" **V**... **VIVI**...!"

"You son of a-" The whole crew tenses, as the people raise their weapons. Looks like a fight is going to be unavoidable! Before Luffy can launch himself at the people, however, he's suddenly grabbed around the waist by none other than Vivi herself, the woman holding tight to him.

"Stop! Please!" Vivi begs, tightening her grip. "Fighting isn't going to solve anything! I'm fine! It was just a graze." She finally releases him, and surprise everyone by actually bowing to the people. "We understand! You don't want us to land here but please we need a doctor! Despite his appearance our friend is gravely ill! His fever has been rising steadily for over two days!"

"Vivi..."

"Not everything can be solved by recklessly charging head-first into a fight. If you can't understand this, Luffy, then you aren't fit to be Captain of this ship. If you start a fight what is going to happen to Run? Do you think these people will help us?" After several moments of consideration Luffy drops down, bowing the same as Vivi.

"I will leave you to the village," the armored man says. "Come with me..."

* * *

Snow crunches underfoot as they hike towards the village...a slow going task as a result of Run's refusal to be carried. Zoro and Carue decided to stay behind on the ship to keep watch over it...although, it might have just been because Zoro wants some more time to train and Carue is cold. "You're sure your companion is alright to walk?" asks the man, who they have discovered in named Dalton. Honestly, if not for Luffy offering him his shoulder he might not be able to make the trek.

"Aaah, Run?" asks Luffy, before grinning at the man. "Yeah! He's one of the toughest people I know!"

"Well...I feel I must warn you, our own doctor happens to be a witch."

"A witch?" Usopp echos.

"Haaah, she's not gonna turn me into a frog, is she?" Run jokes, earning a small chuckle from Robin. "Can you at least tell me that this woman knows what she's doing? I'm not going to be eatting bat wings, or lizard tails or cob-webs here soon, am I?"

"No, she is an extraordinary doctor."

"So, what's the name of this land?" Vivi asks.

"It doesn't have one."

"A nameless land? Is that normal?" Usopp begins panicking the next second, screaming about a huge bear that appears in the distance...walking on two legs in their direction with a pick-axe in hand. He immediately begins to play dead while Dalton explains that it's what's known as a 'Hiking Bear' and that it's only proper manners to bow to him as they pass which they all do. It takes them only a little longer to reach the village of 'Big Horn' which is alive with people and animals coming and going despite the cold weather.

"Looks pretty lively," mutters Run, sweat dripping from his chin despite the frigid air. The large group slowly disperses until at last it's only the crew and Dalton left, who invites them to his home. Though Dalton offers Run the use of his bed, and though it looks inviting with fatigue rapidly settling in the red head opts to take a seat in an empty chair...and promptly has a thermometer shoved into his mouth by Robin.

"Under your tongue, please," Robin says, crouching in front of him.

"Why do 'ou 'ave tiss thing?" mumbles Run around the thermometer.

"Because someone has to look after your health."

"You've heard my name but we haven't been properly introduced, yet," Dalton says. "My name is Dalton, I am the head of the security forces here. I apologize for our heavy-handed welcome but we couldn't be sure if you meant us any harm or not."

"Aah, it's no problem," Nami assures him, watching Robin pull the thermometer from Run's mouth.

"I hate to interrupt but I'm more interested in hearing about this witch," Robin tells them. "Run's temperature has risen again. It's up to forty-two degrees celsius, now."

"F-Forty-two?" echos Dalton, staring at the red head. "How can you even move around like that?! If it goes up anymore then you'll certainly die!"

"His fever has been rising steadily for several days now," Vivi says. "We need a doctor immediately. Any kind will do. So please point us to this witch if you would." Dalton points towards the window, or more accurately, the mountains in the distance. He tells them they're known as the Drum Rockies, at all the top of the tallest one is a king-less castle, where this lands only doctor, a woman by the name of Kureha, lives now.

"How are we supposed to get him up there, exactly?" Sanji asks, looking at the mountains. "He isn't exactly in any condition to go mountain climbing, you know."

"Isn't there some way to contact her?" adds Nami. "Some way to bring her down here?" Dalton tells them that there is no way to contact her, and that she only comes down from the mountain when she feels like it. She comes down, treats patients, and takes whatever she wants from their homes as payment...rather pirate-like in actions, it seems. Its do to this eccentric behavior, and her incredible age of 140 that she is called a witch. He tells them that as a doctor she is absolutely amazing but...she's still just an old hag in behavior.

"So...seems like a pretty simple plan, then," Run mutters. "I haven't climbed a mountain since we left Foosha Village, though. I'm gonna be a bit rusty."

"Ooh! That's right!" chirps Luffy, grinning. "We used to climb Mt. Colubo all the time! This is gonna be so much fun!"

"Are you two stupid?!" exclaim Nami and Vivi in unison.

"Maybe the two of you could make it up the mountain but Run is sick, Luffy!" Nami tells at him. "He's in no shape to go mountain climbing especially not in this weather! Robin! You can't honestly think this is a good idea, too! Help me talk some sense into the two of them!"

"I can't say I like the idea of sending a sick person up a dangerous mountain but if that's where the doctor is then that's where he's got to go," Robin says simply. "I'll come along, as well."

"No, you won't," Run says quickly. "Luffy and I will go, everyone else stays." Robin actually laughs at this.

"I've gotta admit it's cute how you think you can stop me, Run."

"If Robin is going then I'm coming, too!" Sanji calls quickly.

"Haaah, fine, everyone just do as you please," Run complains, standing with the Robin's help. "Let's not waste anymore time, then...we've got a mountain to climb..."


	15. Drum Rockies! A Doctor At the Top!

Okay, so this one is going to be _really_ short. Like the shortest I've done so far...honestly, I should have folded it in with the last chapter but my laziness won out apparently. I'm going to try really hard to get the next one out before the end of the week! So, I hope you'll all forgive me! As always enjoy, and let me know what you think!

* * *

The crunching of snow just barely registers over the howling of the wind as they charge up the mountain slope. "Just what in the hell is that guy made of, exactly?" Sanji mutters, the sound of his voice lost under the wind. Aside from the sweat absolutely pouring off his flushed face the red head doesn't seem to be all that sick. It's strange that he isn't bed ridden with his illness but not unimaginable considering how tough he seems to be...but to be running around like nothing is wrong? That just isn't natural. Not by a long shot.

"Oi, did you all know that no one in snowy countries sleeps?" Luffy says, attempting conversation over the howling wind.

"Why is that?" Robin asks, somewhat confused.

"Aah, because if they did they go to sleep they'll die!"

"Where did you hear _that_ from?" Run asks, fairly certain that his friend is confused about the circumstances surrounding that bit of information.

"From some guy in Party's bar, of course!"

"Alright. So, then, why does Dalton have a bed in his place?" From out of the surrounding woods, a rabbit comes barreling towards them. It's simple enough to dodge, watching it embed itself in the snow as they continue running. "Haah, you don't suppose that that was one of those Lapin's Dalton was talking about, do you?"

"Obviously, Dalton has it for when he decides to die!" Run simply signs in response. The same rabbit launches itself at them again, succeeding only in sinking it's fangs into the trunk of a near-by tree...which they then have to dodge.

"Well, did you know that women in snowy countries all have silky smooth pale skin?" Sanji tells them.

"And why is _that_ , exactly?" Robin asks.

"It's because when they're cold they rub it to generate heat! So, since they rub it all the time, it's become smooth! And of course it's pale because the falling snow dyes it that color! Aah, but it's not better than yours, Robin~!" Run shakes his frost covered head slowly. "And would you quit being so damn annoying?!" growls Sanji, seconds before kicking the same small rabbit like a kick ball, sending it sailing into the distance. They forge ahead through the snow-storm, though not for long before they suddenly find themselves confronted by a huge number of Lapin's...these all far larger than the small one that Sanji had sent flying.

"Wow! Look at all of 'em!" exclaims Luffy. "They look like polar-bears!"

"I guess the little one went and got it's friends," Run comments rather flippantly. "Guess we should-"

"Avoid them," Robin finishes.

"Exactly- wait, what? Avoid?" Run echos, confusion appearing on his face.

"That you haven't collapsed from exhaustion or fever is nothing short of amazing but you certainly aren't in any shape for a fight. Besides that, what would happen if you got hit by one of them? It might worsen your condition. We should just avoid them, and keep heading up the mountain."

"I'm perfectly capable of fighting a few-"

"We'll fight them," Luffy tells him. "But no matter what _you_ just dodge and keep heading up the mountain, Run."

"...Alright. If it's the Captain's orders." The next second one of them lowers itself to the ground and launches itself at them. They scatter, avoiding it's attack, and take off running through the forest. Weaving this way and that as they attempt to leave the Lapin's behind...though, it seems to be absolutely no avail as they quickly catch up with them. "Damn things are persistent!"

"Go left! We'll keep running up the mountain!" Sanji tells them, kicking a Lapin that gets too close to them. They dash through the snow, a cliff face rapidly appearing in front of them. Of course, seeing a Lapin waiting for them at the bottom of it the red head smirks before jumping.

"'Scuse me!" calls Run, using it's face as a spring-board to propel himself up the cliff face to the top. The others follow suit, landing beside the red head and charging up the mountain. It seems that they have no intention of backing down, or letting them give them the slip as they continue chasing...at least for some time. Then, as suddenly as they began chasing they seem to stop, disappearing entirely only to reappear in front of them. "What in the-" The Lapin's immediately begin jumping up and down.

"What are they doing?" Luffy asks, watching them bounce.

"...They can't be," mutters Robin.

"What is it?"

"They're trying to start an avalanche!" The pounding of the Lapin's feet is quickly replaced by a loud rumbling, and behind them a huge wall of white begins racing down the slope towards them. "We should-"

"Run away!" exclaims Sanji, as they turn and begin running back down the mountain. "Those damn bunnies! I won't let 'em get away with this!"

"We need to get up somewhere high! There! The cliff!" Robin points to a large rocky cliff standing out high above the snow, and they all make an immediate bee-line for it. "If we can get up high enough we should be able to avoid the worst of it!" They barely make it to the cliff in time...but it doesn't seem to be enough. The snow bowls over the cliff, and knocks them all off. Tumbling, freezing, and thrashed about, the red head struggles not to allow himself to be buried beneath the rushing snow. A sharp tug on the back of his coat yanks him free of the stream, and he finds himself deposited astride a log, rushing down the mountain as if he's snowboarding.

"Run, you alright?!" Robin asks, additional arms disappearing quickly.

"Fine, fine!" Run assures her.

"Oi! Little help?!" exclaims a voice from ahead of them, attracting their attention to Sanji. Luffy suddenly comes plummeting out of the sky, and lands on the log ahead of the two of them. "Luffy! A little-" Before he can even finish Luffy stretches his arm out and hauls him out of the snow back to the log. "You really saved my skin!"

"Yeah, but it looks like we've got bigger problems!" Luffy tells him. "We're not gonna get swallowed up by the snow but it looks like we're gonna end up riding this all the way back down the mountain!"

"Oh, hell, no! We've come too far for that now! We need to think of a way to stop!" As if to make things worse, the Lapins suddenly come racing down beside them, riding atop shattered trees the same as them. "Come on, give us a break!" Ahead of them, parting the snow rushing down the mountain is the absolute worst thing that the red head can imagine.

"Everyone! Rock!" Run calls, pointing towards it.

"Aaah! We're gonna crash!" Luffy panics. "What do we do?!"

"This!" exclaims Sanji, tossing the three from the log. If not for Luffy and Robin without a doubt they'd have ended up swallowed in the avalanche but as it is it's only Sanji that does.

"What the hell?!"

"I did it...for Robin~!" The cook disappears beneath the snow with the splintered log. Luffy stretches an arm out after the cook but pulls back only a mitten.

"Aaaaah! Robin, Run! Stay here, I'll be back!" Without another word, and leaving them sitting on a small cliff, their Captain dives head first into the snow. Robin chuckles softly in response, and Run exhales heavily before collapsing back into the snow.

"This is turning out to be one hell of an ordeal," Run mutters, grey eyes staring up at an equally grey sky.

"Are you alright?" Robin asks, leaning over to look down at him.

"I'll live."

"I know you will. But that's not what I asked." Hearing snow crunching under foot, they stand and watch the approach of Luffy. From what it appears, he's strapped the unconscious form of Sanji on his back for easier carrying. Without another word, they begin walking back up the mountain again. Half way up the slope the come across the cause of their predicament, and Sanji's injury. Digging furiously in the snow at an exposed paw is a small Lapin which finally notices them when they're only a few steps away. It snarls and growls, trying it's best to be intimidating but not actually accomplishing anything.

Run approaches, reaches down to grasp the large paw and with little effort pulls the Lapin free of the snow before they continue on their way. It seems to be far slower going up the mountain now. Having to climb back up the same part of the mountain again is demoralizing to say the least but they're making progress at least.

"There they are!" calls a voice from behind, seconds before a large furry hippo comes sprinting around them, and stops directly in their path. "Hold it! No one move!" Ridding on the hippo are three men one of whom they recognize as being the man that had attacked their ship before...what had name? His subordinates had called him 'Wapol', right?

"You're in our way," Luffy tells him. "Move."

"And why would I do that?!" He looks the unconscious Sanji, and the ailing Run before smirking. "It looks like you've got two with who are already half-dead anyway." They completely ignore the man, and his companions, choosing to walk around him. "Don't you...oh! I just thought up a new law! All those that ignore the King shall be executed." They simply continue walking much to the irritation of Wapol. "Stop ignoring me! Kill them! Target the sick and injured one's first!"

"What was that?!"

"I'll take the red head!" the afro'd man says, honing in on Robin and Run. He raises his fists, spikes suddenly appearing through the black material of his gloves. He isn't particularly fast which should make it easy to dodge...if not for the deep snow. "You're-" He's struck square in the face by what appears to his obscured vision as a winter coat, and as a result goes crashing to the frozen earth, missing them entirely as they make a break for it. "Damn it!" He untangles himself from the wool garment, throwing it off just to watch them disappear into the distance running from a hail of arrows.

"Bastards!" complains Luffy, as they dodge this way and that. But the arrows soon stop, and it doesn't appear as if they're chasing them anymore...and that's when they nearly run right into a gigantic set of jaws. Wapol's mouth snaps shut with the audible 'click!' of teeth as he barely misses. His companions seem to just appear out of the snow in the same manner, weapons at the ready for a fight.

"I've got you now, red hair!" exclaims the boxer, rushing him. There's no way he's going to be able to avoid him. He's going to take the punch full on!

"We haven't got time for this! Go away!" They're all surprised by a pair of Lapin's that come running down the mountain and swat the lot of them away.

"Did those Lapin's just help them?!" the afro'd man asks, pushing himself up from the snow.

"Impossible! Lapin's don't bond with Humans!" asserts the bow wielding man. "It's gotta be some kind of coincidence! That's all!" The Lapin's face Wapol and his men...and clinging to the back of one of the large rabbits is a rather small, familiar looking shape. The baby Lapin looks back at them, and actually flexes his arms.

"Haah, looks like we'll be leaving this to you, then," Run says, as they turn and continue up the slope. The wind howls in their ears, and the temperature continues to drop. The cold cuts through them, settling in their bones despite their warm clothing...or most everyone's warm clothing. "Should've never thrown my coat!"

"Would you like mine?" Robin asks, actually earning a weary laugh from him.

"I don't think we wear the same size." It isn't long before they've reached the base of the mighty Drum Rockies. The jagged rock stretches into the grey sky further than any of them can even see. It's going to be straight climb up sheer rock wall with almost no place for hand holds.

"I can't even see the top," Luffy mutters, head turned skyward.

"Let's go. We've got a hell of a climb ahead of us." Run is the first one to start, finding a hand-hold in the jagged, frozen rock and beginning his ascent. The hours long climb is, in a word, 'agonizing' for all involved. The freezing cold, and howling wind show no signs of stopping, or even slowing. In fact, the higher they climb, the worse the weather is and the harder the climb becomes. "I don't know...much more of this...I can take," Run mumbles between gasps into the jagged face of the mountain. Luffy and Robin are only a short distance ahead of him, or rather, above him in their climb.

Aside from the weather the climb has been less than forgiving on his hands; each finger cut and bleeding from the sharp rocks. But it looks as if it's all going to be over soon! He can just barely make out the peak of the mountain! Just a bit further to go! One final push to the top! After hours of climbing, and everything before it's finally within reach!

"I can see the top!" Luffy cheers over the howling wind, climbing a bit quicker with the others following...and when they finally reach the top, it's with every last bit of strength that Run can muster, and a helping hand from Robin, he hauls himself over the edge onto the mountain top, dropping into the snow beside Luffy, and Sanji.

"We...made it, Luffy," Run huffs, actually grinning. Robin chuckles a bit, looking from the three prone men over to the grand castle in the distance.

"Just wait here," Robin tells them. "I'll go get the doctor." They hear her foot-steps departing, and with a loud grunt Run begins slowly pushing himself up.

His vision is beginning to darken around the edges...and what little he can still see is blurry. His body feels like it's been weighted down by lead, and what parts of him aren't freezing are burning up. "Luffy? Why does...she have...more energy than us?" Before he can answer, however, the snow under them suddenly begins to shift and break apart. The snow they're sitting on must just be an over-hang! They're going to fall off the mountain!

"Aaah! We're gonna-" Run grabs Luffy by the back of his shirt and throws him toward the castle...and although he doesn't go very far it's far enough that only HE is going to fall. " **RUN**!"

"Well...shit," Run mumbles, dropping straight down with the snow as his consciousness finally fades...


	16. Wapol Defeated! Cherry Blossom's Fall!

As it turns out...death is a rather comfortable feeling. Comfortable and _warm_ for that matter. Especially considering that he should be buried under several feet of snow. In fact...he feels much better. Like his fever has gone down. So...maybe he isn't dead, after all. With that thought, he slowly opens his eyes, and finds himself staring at a stone ceiling in a warm bed rather than grey sky in an freeze snow drift...and he can hear someone moving to his right. Run slowly turns his head towards the noise, and finds a...reindeer standing in front of a table on top of a chair.

It promptly hops off the chair, and their eyes meet seconds later. Several long moments of complete silence follow at least until Run sits up on the bed, and asks, "Who are you?" The small, blue nosed reindeer jumps and much to Run's amusement he goes sprinting out of the room. He throws back the blanket and casts his feet over the edge of the mattress. "Haah, alright, then. I guess I'll introduce myself first. My name is Run. What's yours?" The reindeer is standing with half of his face hidden behind the door way and his body wide out in the open. "You know-"

"Shut up, Human!" shouts the reindeer. "...And how is your fever?"

"Much better. I have you to thank for that, am I right?" Hearing heels clicking on stone, Run glances over just in time to see Robin enter the room behind an old woman. "Robin!" The red head stands quickly, a smile appearing on his face...and nearly falls flat on his face before Robin catches him and returns him to the bed. "Thanks."

"Well, well, you seem to be doing well now, boy," the woman says, approaching them. She reaches out and places a single finger-tip on his forehead. "Hmmm...38.2 degrees Celsius. That's more or less alright. I'm Doctor Kureha. You may call me Doctorine."

"Yeah," Run drawls slowly, eyeing the woman for a moment before turning his attention back to Robin. "Anyway, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Robin tells him, sitting on the bed beside him. "The others were in worse shape than I was...Luffy had to be treated for frost bite. Mr. Cook had several broken ribs but was treated without issue. So, they're resting now. How about you?" The red head offers shrug of the shoulders in response.

"I'll live."

"Hah! Barely!" laughs Kureha. She reaches down, grasps the hem of his shirt and lifts it to expose his abdomen, or more accurately, the dark bruising on his ribs. "You were bitten by an insect called Kestia. It's a poisonous tick that lives in jungles with an especially hot and humid climate. The good news is that your symptom would have only lasted for about two more days. After that, you would have died." Both blink in surprise and Kureha releases his shirt. "It's known as the 'Five Day Disease'...but you know, I've never heard of a patient that was still ambulatory after three days of progression. You're certainly tough, I'll give you that."

"Thank you very much."

"Even so, you're not completely healed so go back to sleep, boy."

"Firstly, my name is 'Run' not 'boy'. Secondly, I feel a lot better."

"That doesn't matter in the slightest. It takes at least ten days to full treat the disease. Even with _my_ medicine it'll take you at least three days." Run shakes his head firmly in response.

"Sorry, but I honestly haven't got three days to wait around. I've got places to be so-" Kureha spins around, scalpel in hand, and places it against the side of his neck.

"When a patient of mine leaves, it's because they're either dead or cured."

"Fine, we understand," Robin tells her, reaching up and moving the scalpel. "We'll wait until he's been fully treated."

"We haven't got that kind of time," Run says quickly. "Vivi-" The door to the room very suddenly bursts open, and in comes running the blue nosed reindeer with Luffy and Sanji clinging to him. From the looks of things it seems that they're trying to eat him! They go running this way and that before dashing back out the door. "Haaah, alright, I've just gotta ask...what exactly is that reindeer?"

"His name is Chopper. He's just a reindeer with a blue nose," Kureha tells them.

"I see that. But to the best of my knowledge reindeer don't speak."

"That's because he ate the Human-Human Fruit. He's my student, you know. I taught him everything I know about medicine."

"He's certainly a cute little furball," Robin adds, earning a chuckle from Run. After everything finally begins to wind down, and Sanji and Luffy have given up chasing the reindeer they all gather in the room at a small table. Of course, the first thing that Luffy does is invite 'the old woman' to join their crew as the doctor. Kureha responds by kicking him across the room into the wall. Clearly, she doesn't like being called 'old'...something Luffy just doesn't quite get as he attempts a second time.

In the middle of all of this, the reindeer, Chopper, wanders back into the room. "Aaah! It's the reindeer!" Luffy calls, immediately chasing it out of the room with Sanji following, and Kureha chasing them. "Come back here, meat!" They disappear for only a moment or two before bursting through another door and then out through another, leaving it standing open and frigid air blowing in.

"They're awfully lively," Robin chuckles.

"Yeah, and you'd think they were raised in a barn," adds Run, throwing his blanket back and his feet over the edge of the mattress.

"Stay in bed!" calls Chopper, appearing from around the corner. The small reindeer scans the room quickly, searching for any signs of Luffy and Sanji before entering. "You still have a fever. You may not feel like it since Doctorine's medicine works so effectively but you still have Kestia bacteria in your body." He slams the door closed quickly.

"Thank you." Chopper turns to face him. "You looked after me while I was unconscious, right?"

"S-Shut up! I don't need to be thanked by a Human!" Of course, while he says this he does a strange little dance much to the amusement of Robin and Run. After he's finished, the little reindeer eyes them carefully. "Are you all really pirates?"

"Yeah."

"Real ones?"

"Real ones."

"You have a flag with a skull on it?"

"We have a Jolly Roger. It's on the ship." After a moment of silence Run chuckles. "Are you interested in pirates, Chopper?" He immediately back-pedals, flailing his arms around wildly, and crashing hard into a book-shelf.

"No! Why would you think that?!"

"Alright, no need to yell. But even so...how about coming with us? Having you join would solve a lot of problems at once. I would be able to leave here immediately, the crew would gain a doctor and you would be able to sail with-"

"Don't be ridiculous! I'm a reindeer!"

"And?"

"A...And? I walk on two legs! And I can even talk! Don't you get scared when you see me?!"

"Is that supposed to be scary?" Robin asks him. "I find you to be quite a cute little furball."

"I have a blue nose, too." Seconds later, Luffy and Sanji come sliding into the room, and immediately begin chasing after Chopper again. The trio go tearing out of the room quickly while Robin and Run watch them, somewhat amused by it.

"Those brats sure are quick," mutters Kureha, attracting their attention to the old woman. "I don't like it, red hair." Run arches a brow in response. "You trying to recruit my student behind my back."

"Didn't know I needed your permission."

"No, I suppose you don't. If you want to take him with you then I won't stop you. But just know that it won't be easy. See, he has a scar in his heart, one so big that even I can't treat it." She tells them that, from the time he was born he was all alone. Abandoned, and ostracized by his herd, and even his parents just because his nose was blue. And then after eating a Devil Fruit, he was treated as even more of a monster, and an outsider, and pressured to leave his herd. When he did, he headed down the mountain, this time in the form of a Human...however, it wasn't perfect and his nose stayed blue, as well. The villagers, fearing that he was a monster, chased him away without a second thought.

"Chopper just wanted friends, and yet he was called a monster. He's lived all alone since then only ever wanting a friend. Can you guys heal that scar?"

"I don't know," Run admits honestly. "But we'll damn sure try."

"Hmph. You know, there was only one person other than myself, Dr. Hiriluk, that actually treated Chopper as something other than a monster. He gave the reindeer his name...he was like a son to him." She turn to stare into the fire. "But not all stories have a happy ending..."

* * *

It's certainly a sad story to say the least. To be cast out of his herd and then lose the only person who looked after him, and treated him like something more than just a monster. "He's certainly been through a lot at such a young age," Run mutters. "I understand your concern now."

"I cannot just allow him to leave with any pirate crew," Kureha tells him. Suddenly the door to the room is thrown open, and in rushes Chopper.

"Haaah, is Luffy chasing you again?"

"Doctorine! It's him!" Chopper exclaimes. "It's Wapol! He's back!" Run immediately looks out the window, and sure enough the big mouthed man and his two lacky's are gathered in front of the castle. Chopper and Kureha immediately exit the room, apparently going to confront the man.

"That guy just doesn't know when to back down." The red head slides over to the edge of the mattress. "I guess I should go help."

"Are you sure you're well enough to fight?" Robin asks, watching him slowly pull his boots on.

"Who knows?" Run stands and stretches before looking back at her. "Coming?" She nods and stands, pulling her coat on before the two of them leave the room, heading for the front gate of the castle. Down stairs and long halls, they cut a winding path that they aren't entirely sure is correct until suddenly Luffy comes running down one of the halls in their direction. "Oi, Luffy!"

"Cold, cold, cold, cold!" Luffy chatters, rubbing his hands across his arms. He takes several steps past them...then suddenly stops and doubles back. "Aah, Run? What are you doing out of bed?"

"I was coming to help? What are you doing?"

"It's _cold_!" Luffy complains, shivering. "Aaah, but if you're going to help then-" He points in the direction that he's come from. "-That's the way to the front gate. I'll be back in a second! I've gotta find a coat!" He goes running off down the hall again, and after a moment they head in the opposite direction. It's a short walk to the entrance which stands wide open despite the sub-zero temperature. Gathered ahead of them they can see Kureha, Sanji and Chopper, and beyond them Wapol and his lacky's.

For some reason, Wapol is laughing, the sound carrying across the frozen earth. "Grave?" Wapol laughs. "For that stupid doctor?! Do you really think that idiot deserves something as grand as my castle as his grave?! How dare you violate my sacred castle with that doctors flag?! Burn it down! I don't want even a single shred of that quacks flag left!"

"You shouldn't speak ill of the dead," Robin calls, silencing the man's laughter, and alerting the others to their presence.

"And you really shouldn't speak badly about someone else's flag," Run adds, as they step up beside the others.

"Hmph, I thought I told you to stay in bed, red hair," Kureha says. The red head responds with a simple shrug of his shoulders, all the while watching Chopper grow into a much larger form.

"This flag is the doctor's faith!" Chopper yells. "I won't let you lay even a single finger on it! No matter what!"

"Will you be joining us in this fight, old lady?" Sanji asks, immediately earning the ire of Kureha who responds by kicking him in the head much to the amusement of Run. She tells them that if it looks like the fight is going to be too much for them then she'll help out. It was then that the man with the afro, who they were sure they'd been heard called Kuromarimo, fires off a large hair-ball in the direction of Kureha. Seconds before it impacts, however, Sanji blocks it with his leg. "Oi, oi, what's wrong with you? You shouldn't throw things at a lady...hm?" Sanji blinks, and shakes his leg, attempting to shake the hair-ball off but to no avail. "O-Oi! What's with this damn thing?! Is it statically charged?!"

"There's more where that came from!" Kuromarimo says, seconds before firing off several more hair-balls. "Marimo's Static Cling!" They all stick firmly to Sanji, and he immediately begins attempting to pry them off, complaining the whole time.

"Aah, these things are so damn gross! Oi, Red! Don't just stand there! Gimme a hand!" The red head approaches the wriggling cook quickly, and rather than simply allow him to help pry them off, the man immediately sticks one of the hair-balls to him. "Here, take this."

"Wha- You bastard!" Run shouts, sticking the ball back on Sanji, who immediately returns it.

"C'mon, take one of 'em!"

"Hell, no!" Neither of them notice the man with the bow, Chess, notching a flaming arrow until he's already drawn it back. "...Crap." Robin slowly shakes her head before crossing her arms in front of her just as the man releases the arrow. The next second, the hair-balls are plucked from the two arguing men, who barely dodge the flaming missile. "Aah, thanks, Robin!"

"That woman...she's eaten a Devil Fruit, too?" Chess wonders aloud moments before he's forced to dodge an angry Chopper's punch. But while the man manages to dodge Chopper isn't nearly so lucky, and he's swallowed by Wapol the next instant.

"I'm back!" calls Luffy, running up from behind them.

"Great timing! Luffy, grab my leg from there!" Sanji tells him. Luffy stretches from there, gripping his leg only to be propelled towards Wapol. "Armee de L'Air Assault...Gum Shoot!" Luffy sails shoulder first into Wapol, striking him in the stomach and forcing him to spit Chopper out as he goes flying into the distance. The little reindeer flies back towards them, right into a number of Robin's waiting arms. She lowers him back to the ground, the extra arms disappearing as she does so.

"Good job," Run tells them. "Hm?" Rather than ending the fight, it seems as if Wapol is tougher than they'd given him credit for. The man slowly stands, brushing himself off as he does so. "He's tougher than he looks, I guess."

"I can no longer stand these people!" Wapol growls. "I'm going to show them my power! The power of Munch-Munch Factory! Chess! What have I eaten today?!" The man lists off the strangest assortment of inedible items: two cannons, cannonballs, a gunpowder salad and even a house.

"Just what kinds of things do you eat?" Luffy asks.

"A real picky eater, this guy," Sanji adds, as they all watch the man suddenly reshape himself into a house with cannons for arms...much to the absolute amazement of Luffy. That amazement is soon turned to horror, and disgust when Wapol suddenly eats both of his own men. "Wha?! He's eating his own people?!"

"Hmm, I wonder how they taste," Robin mutters aloud, earning a shake of the head from Run in response. He swallows them, dances around for a moment and when he's finally still the door on his chest is thrown open.

"Feast your eyes on this miraculous union!" Wapol exclaimes.

"We are the strongest warrior in the Drum Kingdom!" calls the figure, climbing through the door. "Chessmarimo!"

"Awesome!" exclaims Luffy.

"Which part exactly?" Sanji asks.

"Maybe the part where they're sitting on each others shoulders," Run offers, not nearly as impressed with their 'transformation' as his Captain is.

"Don't let your guard down," Kureha tells them. "If he was easy to defeat, the people would have done it a long time ago."

"I'm the king of this country...and that is my castle," Wapol announces. "I won't allow you to fly any flag other than my own! Especially not that quack doctor's flag!" He fires off a cannon ball at the top of the castle, the blast aimed at the flag flying high. This sends Chopper over the edge, the little reindeer covering the distance between Wapol and himself before the man can react.

"You bastard! Doctor tried to save everyone! Even you!" Chopper shouts, grabbing Wapol by the front of his coat, and cocking back. Then, just as suddenly as he'd begun he stops, holding his hand in place. "L...Leave! I'm not going to hit you...so leave this country forever!"

"Chopper! Don't be an idiot!" Kureha screams. "He isn't going to listen to you!" Before he can react, Chopper blasts him at point black range with a cannon, throwing him straight back. "Chopper!"

"Oi, big mouth!" Luffy calls, attracting everyone's attention to the top of the castle. Using the sleeve of a winter coat, he's tied the flag off as if it were never broken. "You were a fake pirate, isn't that right? From the beginning you never understood the meaning behind this flag because you were a fake who was unwilling to risk his life for it! A pirate flag isn't something to be raised half-heartedly! It isn't a joke, or something to toy with!"

"Fool! If not for a joke then why would a King such as myself raise it?!" Wapol shouts, pointing the cannon at Luffy and firing a shot off. It's a direct hit; the explosion of smoke, and snow, and dust obscuring Luffy from view for several long moments before finally revealing him standing tall, the flag held in his hand.

"I don't know who's flag this is but it's a man's promise to risk his life! It wasn't raised as a joke, and it's not something I'll allow you to break while laughing so foolishly!" He firmly jabs the flag pole into the stone. "Oi! Chopper! I'm gonna beat this guy! What do you wanna do?" Wapol points his cannon at Luffy again...and when Sanji runs to interfere, he suddenly freezes up back arched sharply.

"Seems like his back has finally give out," Kureha announces. "Not surprising given he isn't even close to being healed." She surprises them by striking the man in his ailing back, and sending him dropping face first into the snow. "You should be still. Doctor's orders.

"Stop it!" exclaims Chopper, rushing Wapol. Before he can strike the man, however, Chessmarimo intercepts him, blocking his punch. Chopper jumps back from them, changing form back into his smaller self.

"Why are you helping them?" Chessmarimo asks. "You were treated like a monster before...you don't even have a single friend here! Why even bother?!"

"I don't care! Even if I don't have friends I'm still going to fight! As long as the doctor's flag is here...I...!"

"Wrong! I'm his friend!" Luffy calls, suddenly sling-shotting himself from the tower to the ground. "Chopper, you can deal with that guy, right?" He nods firmly in response, and Luffy grins. "Alright, then! I'll take big mouth on myself." Chopper produces what looks to them as a small yellow jaw-breaker from his pocket.

"Rumble Ball. The effects of this last three minutes...I'll take you down in three minutes!" He pops the jaw-breaker into his mouth, and chomps down. The effects seem to be immediate. In less than a minute Chopper changes form several times, effectively out-maneuvering Chessmarimo as if it were nothing. First, the standard form of a reindeer, secondly a fighting form with muscular arms. Thirdly, a slimmed down form which he uses to effortlessly dodge their attacks, and a final form...in which his fur puffs out in all directions, standing on end as if he's been struck by a bolt of lightning.

"My Rumble Ball is a drug that disrupts the wavelength of a Devil Fruit's transformations," Chopper explains. "Five years of research went into its development. In that time I discovered four more transformations. The standard three plus four more granting me seven transformations."

"That's a nifty little jaw-breaker," Run mutters, crossing his arms slowly.

"He developed something like that himself?" Robin asks, sounding impressed to Run's ears. Truthfully, she never would have imagined it possible to manipulate the Devil Fruit's wavelength like that. "How interesting." While Robin and Run are impressed by Chopper's intelligence, Luffy himself is impressed more by the transformations. He seems to be beside himself, stars dancing in his eyes and face split in a huge grin.

"A seven-phase transforming, talking reindeer!" Luffy cheers, completely ignoring Wapol along with everyone else. They two go round and round with Chessmarimo being unable to hit Chopper, and when they finally separate completely, the little reindeer lands and forms a small circle with his fingers. "Oohhh! A beam! He's gonna shoot a beam!"

"What are you doing now?" Chessmarimo asks.

"I wasn't just dodging you," Chopper tells him. "I was looking for your weak spot...and now I've finally found it! His jaw!" In a single swift upper-cut, the fight is over and Chessmarimo is left lying motionless in the snow. It takes only a second for Robin to notice the absence of Wapol and far shorter to notice a set of foot-prints heading into the castle.

"Captain! Run! He's gone inside!" Robin tells them, alerting the everyone to his disappearance.

"Wha? That little bastard!" exclaim Run. The two go running off inside quickly, paying little attention to anything else as they do. Inside the castle, they find the man standing in front of a pair of large stone doors, hurriedly attempting to de-ice what appears to be a large lock. "Oi, big mouth!" Wapol immediately whirls around to face them.

"It's over!" Wapol tells them, motioning to the doors behind him. "Believe it or not behind these doors is the castles armory! After I open the door and eat all the weapons inside, no one will be able to stand against me! I'm going to take back my castle and my kingdom! What do you think of that?!" Hearing snow crunching behind them both glance back at the calm approach of Robin, who has her arms crossed in front of her. Both turn to look back at Wapol just in time to see an extra arm snatch and throw the key in their direction.

"You really should hide these things better," Robin says, catching the key with ease. "And you really shouldn't tell others your intentions."

"Good job, Robin!" Luffy chirps, grinning from ear to ear.

"It's not over yet!" a sweating Wapol screams, surprising them all by taking off up the stairs. They immediately give chase, taking the stairs two at a time behind the man all the way up to the very top of the castle, and down a series of frozen halls behind eventually stopping in a circular room with a large tarp covered object in the center.

"Looks like this is the end of the road, Wapol. No where left to go."

"I still have one last trick up my sleeve!" He yanks the tarp off to reveal a huge seven bored cannon, which he immediately swivels around to point at them. "I'm going to completely obliterate the two of you, and after I'm done I'm going to finish off the rest of your pathetic crew!" Wapol pulls the lever on the back of the cannon...and absolutely nothing happens. "Wha...?" Inside of a cannon blast, a trio of small pale colored birds comes rolling out, chirping wildly.

"...Snow birds," Luffy says, approaching and grabbing the man by his face. "Listen up! I don't care if you're a king or even a god...I'm a pirate and I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"Y-You can't be serious! Drum Kingdom is part of the World Government! Attacking me is the same as attacking them! You'll be making yourself targets! Enemies of the Government!"

"Pirates are already enemies of the World Government," Run simply points out. "I know that a fake pirate like you can't wrap his head around it but...we don't care." The man surprises them by suddenly opening his mouth wide...and transforming his tongue into a cannon!

"Tongue Cannon!" The shot is deafening and so powerful that it blasts a hole in the wall, and chokes the room with a thick smoke. His laughter sounds moments later as the smoke and dust begin to clear. "Looks like they let their guard down! Idiots!"

"Well, one of us did," Run tells the man, voice sounding from behind. Luffy suddenly grasps the man's shoulders, and begins to spin himself around rapidly.

"You shouldn't underestimate us!" Luffy laughs, seconds before launching the man up into the rafters. "Gum-Gum...Bow Gun!" Wapol smashes into the ceiling, firmly lodging himself in there and giving them time scramble up onto the roof as well. "You'd better be prepared to accept the consequences if you insult someone elses flag!"

"Now! Gum-Gum...!"

"Sea King's...!"

"W-Wait! Please! I-I-I'll make you v-vice king...!"

"...Bazooka!"

"...Lash!" Wapol is sent flying into the distance, so far that he completely disappears from their sight...from Alabasta entirely.

"Heh...good job, Run."

"I don't feel like I really did anything, Cap'n." From their vantage point they easily spot a small group of people running towards the castle entrance. "Oi...looks like we've got company. I think I see...Zoro? We should go down and-" Before he can even finish Luffy has stretched himself out, and catapulted himself straight down towards the ground. "-greet them..."

* * *

After managing to get down from the roof without falling, the red head makes his way back to the castle entrance. As it turns out, it's not just Zoro but Nami, Vivi and Usopp as well an injured Dalton and a slew of villagers that have comes up the mountain...by cable car, it seems. It only takes him a second to realize that Luffy and Chopper are missing...but upon seeing two sets of foot prints running off he concludes that Luffy is most likely chasing the little reindeer around the castle again. "Oi, Red!" Zoro calls, as he approaches. "What happened?"

"Haaah, it's difficult to explain," he tells the swordsman, before motioning to Dalton. "What happened to him?"

"It's difficult to explain." The two share a brief chuckle, as the rest of the crew approaches.

"Yo, Run, you're looking a lot better!" Usopp says in way of greeting.

"Feelin' better, too, Usopp," says the red head, turning to look at Vivi. "As soon as Luffy finishes convincing Chopper to join us, we'll head right for Alabasta, Vivi."

"You're not going anywhere!" Kureha shouts, approaching quickly. "You shouldn't even be out of bed right now, red hair! You still need at least three more days before you've fully recovered!" The doctor doesn't waste any time at all getting them all inside. Although she quickly treats Sanji, and Dalton before shoving them into a bed it's well after dark by the time she's finished. And, of course, rather than allow himself to befall the same fate the red head makes a quick escape from the room, and heads for the entrance of the castle.

"You certainly know how to give someone the slip," Robin says calmly, catching up with the red head.

"Apparently not well enough," Run counters, as they walk out into the frozen night. "Although...you _are_ pretty good at tracking me down, Robin. So, is Dr. Kureha all bent out of shape, then?"

"No, I don't know exactly what our Navigator said, or did but it seems as if she's ready to discharge you. Her fee seems to have been taken care of as well."

"With Nami there's no telling." Outside, they find Luffy, Zoro and Usopp gathered in a small circle with their Captain quickly scanning all directions.

"Reindeer!" shouts Luffy. "Come out, Reindeer!" Behind them, Robin here's foot steps and glances back just in time to watch Vivi and Nami drag Sanji out of the castle and into the snow by his ankles. It seems as if the whole crew has gathered, and its just in time for Chopper to make his appearance. "Aah! There you are! Come on! Let's go be pirates together!"

"It's impossible," Chopper tells him.

"No, it's not! Come on, it's gonna be fun!"

"But...But I'm a monster! I can't go with you! I have hooves, and antlers...I even have a blue nose! There's no way I can go with you! E...Even so...thank you for asking. I-"

"Shut up, and let's go!" exclaims Luffy, throwing his hands skyward.

"Y...Yeah!" replies Chopper, tears streaming down his face and nose running...

* * *

They wait in silence for Chopper's return. Having to say good bye to someone after spending so many years together is certainly something that takes a bit of time...it was something that Run had had to do himself when he'd left his father's crew. To say that it was difficult would certainly be an understatement. Luffy and Usopp have run off to make the cable car ready for their departure. "Think he's going to be much longer?" Zoro finally asks, earning their attention.

"Dunno," Run says simply.

"Everyone! Get on the sleigh!" exclaims Chopper, suddenly sprinting out of the castle tied up a small sleigh. "We'll go down the mountain this way!" Behind Chopper, they can see Kureha running, a ball and chain spinning rapidly in her grip. Thankfully, Luffy and Usopp had picked that moment to tell them all that the cable car was ready, and they were able to board the sleigh before Kureha caught up with them. It's a quick slide down the thick rope from the top of the mountain to the bottom with Luffy calling for a second go.

They had just reached the forest when the thunder of cannons sounded from the castle, and the sleigh came to an abrupt halt. Quickly changing forms, Chopper runs around the sleigh several feet away to face the castle, and when everyone turns around...they're treated to a beautiful sight.

"It's beautiful," mutters Nami. The snow surrounding the castle has been tinted a vivid pink and with the mountain serving as a trunk...it looks like one giant blossoming cherry tree with the pedals falling across the entire island. It's as if spring has finally come to the frozen island. They watched for as long as they could until finally they had to return to the Going Merry...and after fishing a frozen Carue out of the icy river, they weigh anchor and set sail for Alabasta once again.

Naturally, everyone is curious as to why Carue ended up in the river...and unfortunately for Zoro, Chopper translates the ducks soft squawking. He tells them that he dove in after Zoro disappeared during his swim, which earns the swordsman a smack in the head from Nami.

"Alright! Let's set sail for Alabsata" Luffy exclaims...


	17. A Face From the Past! Enter Ace!

Greetings, everyone! It's been a while, huh? Do to this, that and the other I sort of had to put this on hold for a bit but I'm finally back, and hopefully I'll be able to update regularly again! Well, here you go! The next chapter!

* * *

They sail ever onward towards Alabasta, in infinitely better spirits now that Run has been treated and they've gained a new friend, and doctor. Nami has taken to Chopper nearly as well as Robin, the two of them finding the little reindeer to be absolutely the 'cutest little furball' that they've ever seen. For his part Chopper seems to enjoy the attention, as well as all the excitement involved in setting sail for a new place. Things finally seem to have returned to normal now. At the bow of the Going Merry, while everyone else seems to be relaxing, Run is busying himself with push-ups.

He's so caught up in his exercising that he doesn't even notice Robin approaching until she's standing right beside him. "Feeling better I see," Robin says in way of greeting, staring down at him. The red head pauses for a moment in the front leaning rest and nods in the affirmative.

"Little bit," Run tells her, dropping a knee and slowly standing. "Chopper tells me that after a few more doses of medicine the Kestia should be completely gone from my system. So, I'm not going to be dropping dead any time soon." He glances over her shoulder for a brief moment, and finds Nami and Vivi standing in front of the door to the lounge. "How are you and Vivi getting along? Still the best of friends, I assume?"

"It's not so bad once you get used to it."

"Yeah," drawls the red head slowly. "Have you tried talking to her?"

"For what reason? Everything she's upset over I'm guilty of...well, almost everything. I didn't have a hand in what happened to Igaram." Robin actually heaves a bit of sigh. "Can you blame her, though? Would you forgive someone who crossed Luffy?"

"No...no, I suppose not."

"You don't have to worry about it, Run. At the very least we're not going to start trading blows."

"Haaaah, alright," he tells her, throwing up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I won't bring it up again, Robin." Hearing Sanji's yelling, the two decide to investigate, and set off in the direction of his voice. It isn't difficult to find him, and when they do they find Luffy sprawled out across the deck, and Usopp, Chopper and Carue sitting on the railing with fishing poles in hand. To hear Sanji tell it, Luffy has eaten all the food that they have left in the middle of the night...something that Run doesn't find all that difficult to swallow, honestly.

"Nami! Can we please invest in a lock for the refrigerator?" Sanji asks, all but begging their Navigator.

"Ya know, a part of me should have foreseen this very situation," Run mutters. "I should've known that it'd take more than a big rat-trap to keep him out of the pantry..."

* * *

Not a bite...not even a nibble after several days of sailing, and with what little bit of food that Luffy hadn't eaten dwindling quickly, they're certainly in a bad way. Other than that, however, things have been fairly uneventful. No islands, and nothing to occupy the time except for waiting, and watching for Alabasta on the horizon. All of this equates into nothing but free time for the crew, and with nothing but free time Run finds himself exercising, and training later and later into the nights.

It makes sense to the red head to push himself to do as much as possible with the little time they have. After all, they seem to be throwing themselves head first into a conflict with an organization with the goal of seizing an entire country, and the numbers to actually achieve it. So, in his desire to practice as much as possible he's even borrowed a Bokken from Zoro to practice his sword-skills with.

"Don't you ever sleep?" asks a voice familiar to him. The red head stops for a moment, and glances over his shoulder at none other than Robin.

"Don't you?" Run counters, turning to face her with a smile. She offers a shrug of her shoulders in response, slowly approaching. "Haaah, I probably should after what's happened but...I dunno, I just feel like we're rushing head first into an unknown situation, and I can't bring myself to just sit around doing nothing." He turns his head up to glances briefly at the crescent moon before heaving a sigh.

"If you want to know about Baroque Works all you have to do is ask."

"Well, it certainly wouldn't hurt to know a bit more about it. So...enlighten me, I suppose." Robin nods in understanding, and then goes on to explain the organization of Baroque Works. She tells him that the agents all recieve special code names. The men receive a number, and the women a holiday, and each male agent is paired with a female. These code names are what they will each be known as. She tells him there are thirteen of these paired agents, and the lower the name the higher their rank in the organization leading all the way up to Mr. 0, and, formerly, herself.

One through five are known as Officer Agents, and six through twelve are known as Frontier Agents, with the Thirteenth Pair being known as the Unluckies...the pair that meats out a punishment for anyone who fails in their mission, threatens the secrecy of Baroque Works or otherwise displeases the boss, Crocodile. Under them is a group of subordinate agents called Millions and Billions, and combined they total two-thousand strong. Two hundred of them work directly under the Officer Agents, and eighteen hundred work for the Frontier Agents.

"Haaah, that's quite the organization," Run mutters, reaching up to scratch the dusting of stubble on his jaw. "Aah, well. It's not really worth worrying about anymore. Now, tell me about _him_. Tell me about Crocodile."

"Crocodile?"

"You've told me about his organization now I'm interested to hear about the man behind it. Namely, his strengths and his weaknesses. Anything you can remember, really."

The word 'enlightening' wouldn't properly describe the information that Robin passes onto the red head. She tells him that Crocodile, like Mihawk, is a Shichibukai; a pirate in the service of the World Government...which is another reason that the organization is operating with such secrecy. According to Robin, the Nefeltari Royal Family was one of twenty families to assist in the founding of the World Government, and as such, attempting to dethrone or otherwise interfere with the family is the same as working against the World Government itself. She also tells him that Crocodile has eaten a Devil Fruit. Specifically, he's eaten the Sand-Sand Fruit, Logia Type Devil Fruit.

"Haaah...that's great," Run complains, tapping the bokken against his shoulder. "Fighting a someone capable manipulating sand in the middle of a desert."

"Crocodile is going to prove a dangerous opponent, to say the least."

"Without a doubt. But knowledge is a powerful weapon, ya know. We can tell the rest of the crew in the morning..."

* * *

At the break of dawn, after eating a small breakfast made with what little they have left, Robin and Run had gathered everyone to pass on what information she has on Baroque Works, and Crocodile. It shed light on the organization and the people involved but raised more questions than it answered. Namely, how in the hell were they going to fight someone who could turn his body into sand, and, according to Robin, even manipulate the surrounding environment so effortlessly.

"We're going to need to come up with some sort of plan, Run," Robin says, leaning over the railing to stare at the deck below. From the Crow's Nest she can see everything going on...which really isn't much, honestly. Aside from Luffy and Usopp fishing for their dinner, the others seem to simply be waiting for their arrival at Alabasta.

"We'll figure something out, I'm sure," Run tells her.

"You sound awfully sure."

"Haaah...worse comes to worse, I've got a few tricks of my own up my sleeve."

"I suppose I'll just have to rely on you, then."

"The crew is reliable, too, Robin."

"Really?" Run sighs a bit in response and nods in the affirmative.

"Yes, really. You could try showing the crew a little trust, ya know. Luffy especially. You can't ever count him out."

"I trust you, and I trust Shanks. That's enough."

"The old man isn't here," Run tells her simply. "And I can't be in two places at once." She turns to face the red head, who is standing with his arms crossed. "Haaah, look, I'm not asking you to place your complete trust in them but...I trust them. So, if you trust me then you can trust my judgement, don't'cha think?"

"...Alright, Run. I'll trust your judgement."

"That's all- What the hell is that?" Robin blinks in confusion for a moment before following his line of sight forward, past the bow of the Going Merry to what seems to be a pocket of steam boiling up out of the sea. He leans forward and to look down at the deck. "Oi!" He raises a hand to his mouth, and looses a shrill whistle to attract attention. "Someone get Nami! There's something strange on the horizon!" Chopper goes running across the deck, running to the lounge after Nami. "Wait here. I'm gonna find out what's going on."

Robin nods in understanding, and watches as Run goes scurrying down the ratlines to the deck, landing just as Nami steps out, flanked by Chopper and Vivi. "What's all the yelling about?" Nami asks, staring down at Run on the lower decks.

" _That_ ," Run tells her, pointing at the steam rising on the horizon.

"Aah, don't worry. It's nothing but steam."

"Steam?" Vivi echos. "Rising from the ocean?"

"Why is is there?" Luffy asks, looking away from his fishing pole at the cloud of steam.

"It's a hot spot." Nami explains that down below the surface, magma is boiling out onto the sea floor from an under-sea volcano. She tells them that there are more underwater volcano's that there are on land, and that eventually, after thousands of years, a new island is going to going to be created as a result of this one's activity.

"It's not gonna cause the ship any problems, is it?" Run asks. "Should we adjust our course?"

"Of course not. It's just steam, that's all. We can sail through." So, they sail onward, straight into the cloud of steam...which, aside from the heat, and obstructing their view isn't much of a bother, and before they know it they've cleared the pocket of steam. "See? Not bad at all."

"O...Oi, I think we caught something strange," Usopp and Luffy say in unison, attracting their attention to the strange man dangling off the ends of their lines. Before the confused and strangely dressed man has a chance to say anything to them, he suddenly plummets from the end of their lines into the sea below.

"Help! I can't swim!" cries the man, splashing and flailing in the water. "Save-" He disappears beneith the waves moments later while Usopp and Luffy stare on.

"S...Should we help him?" Luffy asks.

"I guess so," Usopp replies, the two exchanging glances for a moment before looking back at the red head. Run stares back for a moment before blinking in surprise.

"Wha- Damn it!" He rushes forward and dives over the railing...

* * *

"Oh, thank you!" gushes the man, holding tight to the soaked red head as he carries him across the deck, thrown over one shoulder. "I can't swim, you see! If not for you gracious people I would sure have-" The man's gushing comes to a suddenly end when Run drops him rather unceremoniously to the deck in front of the gathered crew...minus Robin and Sanji. This doesn't seem to phase him in the slightest however, as he quickly moves to a kneeling position while Run strips off and begins wringing it out. "To think that I was saved by such kind strangers! I will never forget this kindness!"

"So you can't swim, huh?" Luffy asks.

"That's right! You see, I've eaten a Devil Fruit!"

"Really? What kind?" Usopp asks.

"Aah! Well, since I suppose that I'm not going anywhere until my ship returns to pick me up, I'll show you! After all, the least I could do is provide some entertainment to such kind people!" Run slowly slips his shirt back on, while the man stands and approaches an excited Luffy. "Now, watch this...!" He very suddenly lunges forward and smacks Luffy in the face hard enough to knock him back several feet.

"You son of a...!" Zoro and Run are immediately at the ready, prepared to fight the man when a familiar voice suddenly rings out.

"Wait, wait, wait!" cries the strange man, slowly moving his hands away from his face to reveal...Luffy? The man appeared identical to Luffy in every aspect, even the scar on his face wasn't missed. "Gimme a break, please?"

"What? That's _me_!" exclaims Luffy, grinning from ear to ear.

"Surprised?! That's my Devil Fruit ability! If I touch my face with my left hand-" He pauses to sweep a hand across his face, and returns to normal. "-See? I'm back to myself! This is the ability if the Clone-Clone Fruit!" He slowly walks down the line, touching the faces of the gathered crew. "All I have to do is touch faces with my right hand, and I can mimic anyone down to the smallest detail!" While saying this he swaps through the whole crew, from Usopp, to Chopper, Zoro, Run and finally ending on Nami. "See? Even the body is-" He attempts to lift his shirt to show us 'Nami's' body but a swift punch to the head quickly ends his trick. While the man insists that he doesn't have more to show Luffy, Chopper and Usopp cheer him on, resulting in a round of face swapping for their amusement.

"Not exactly my idea of quality entertainment," Run says, reclining against the railing of the Going Merry beside Nami and Zoro. "But I guess if it makes 'em happy."

"What an idiot," Zoro mutters, watching the man spin in circles.

"Haaah, not a fan of the performing arts, Zoro?"

"Not a fan of idiots, Red."

"Oi, there's a ship over there," Nami says, attracting their attention to the strange ship approaching them. The man suddenly surprises them all by leaping over to the railing, landing beside them. "Wha?"

"My, it's already time to say good-bye?" the man asks, standing with his back to them. "Such a shame!"

"What?! Please don't go!" beg Luffy, Usopp and Chopper.

"Don't be sad! Remember, that journey's such as this are always accompanied by farewells! But don't ever forget...time has no bearing on true friendship!" He leaps the distance between the ships, and begins sailing away from them. "Now! Let us be on out way!"

"Yes, Mr. 2, Bon Clay!" shout the crew, as the ship disappears onto the distance. Everyone stares on in stunned silence for several moments before it finally seems to sink in.

"MR. 2?!" everyone exclaims.

"So that was Mr. 2...Bon Clay," Vivi says quickly.

"How did you not recognize his face?" Luffy asks her.

"I've never actually seen him, or Mr. 1. I've only heard the rumors...that he's a ballerina, and speaks like a woman...who dresses in swan coat with 'Bon Clay' written on the back." Luffy, Usopp, Zoro and Run simply stare at the woman in response.

"You should've noticed," they tells her quickly.

"Those...Those faces..."

"What about 'em?" Run asks.

"I recognized one of them. It was...it was my father, Nefeltari Cobra!"

"That's not good."

"You could do a lot of damage masquerading as a king," Zoro adds.

"And we just let him slip right through our fingers...and to make matters worse now he knows what we look like. We need to be on our guard. It probably won't be long before he figures out we're his enemy."

"If he uses his memory of us we won't even be able to trust our own friends," Nami says.

"It's not _all_ bad," Zoro says, grinning from ear to ear. "In fact, we should consider ourselves lucky that this guy showed us his abilites. Because now that we know exactly what he's capable of we can start figuring out counter-measures...!"

* * *

Pushing ever onward to Alabasta, they find themselves anxiously awaiting their arrival...for more reasons than one considering their last meal was less than satisfactory. They had passed on the information about Mr. 2 to both Robin and Sanji after their meeting with the man, and told them both to be on guard considering the nature of their opponent. "We'll definitely need to think up some counter-measure," Run mutters, taking a sip from his cup of coffee. "I don't suppose you have any ideas, do you?"

"Not off the top of my head," Robin admits honestly. She sighs softly, and stares into her coffee cup. After their little brush with Mr. 2, Robin had passed on to them as much information about the officer agents as she could but beyond names, appearances and a little bit about their abilities it wasn't really much. "I wish I could tell you more about the agents."

"It's fine. You've already helped us a lot." The ship very suddenly begins to pitch and roll this way and that. "Oh, what now?!" The two go running out of the kitchen and onto the deck of the Going Merry only to find themselves shadowed by a huge...Sea Cat? Luffy and Zoro go sprinting by to the stern, yelling the whole way. They follow the two to the stern quickly where they find them ready to face off with the Sea Cat.

"Our first good meal in days!" exclaims Zoro, swords at the ready.

"It's a meal!" adds Luffy. "Turn the ship around! Go back!" Sanji suddenly comes sprinting out of the kitchen as well, and joins the two of them.

"Capture it, quick!" Sanji says. "No matter what, don't let it escape!"

"Not sure how I feel about eating a Sea Cat," Run mutters.

"Alabastian's consider it a sacred animal," Robin tells him. "They live near the coast of Alabasta so if we're seeing one then we must be getting close. No Alabastian would allow one to come to harm, so..." As if on cue, Vivi suddenly comes out of no where and blind sides the group with broom in hand, knocking them to the deck and allowing the Sea Cat to escape. Vivi immediately tells them that the Sea Cat's are sacred animals, not to be harmed and certainly not to be eaten.

"Vivi!" Nami calls, approaching them. "The wind and weather are starting to become more stable."

"We've entered Alabasta's climate area," Vivi says. "A Sea Cat appearing is also proof."

"That's probably proof, too," Zoro suddenly adds, motioning to the fleet of ships sailing behind them. Emblazoned boldly upon the sails of every single ship in sight is the Baroque Works symbol, as if they haven't a single fear of being spotted.

"It's the Billions," asserts Robin, approaching the railing of the Going Merry. "Crocodile must have called them all in...which means he's planning to make his final move soon. We'll need to move just as quickly if we expect to stop him." Usopp quickly begins adjusting the cannon, aiming it at the nearest ship.

"Should we fire first?" Usopp questions them.

"No. There's no point in picking a fight here and now. Besides, they're just cannon fodder. It isn't worth losing sight of the real goal. There's only ten of us, after all." She is silent for a moment before turning to face them all, a strange smile on her face. "There's only ten of us...doctor, would you bring me some bandages from the infirmary?"

"A-Aah, of course!" Chopper says quickly, running off quickly. When he returns she instructs them all to wrap one of them around their left arm.

"Our enemy can mimic our appearance, so obviously we need some way of marking ourselves so that no matter what we'll be able to identify each other. These bandages will be the identifying mark." It's definitely a good way to spot the real version of each other if the enemy were to mimic their appearance.

"What if they catch onto the idea?" Zoro asks. "We should add some kind of symbol or something extra to be certain."

"Then let's add an 'X' under the bandage!" Luffy chirps quickly. "That way we'll be sure no matter what!"

"An 'X' it is," Run agrees. They all scrawl the symbol onto their skin before tying the bandage around their arm.

"Alright! No matter what, these things on our arm, these are symbol of our friendship! We won't let it broken by anything...!"

* * *

It wasn't a surprise...or, rather, it _shouldn't_ have come as a surprise that as soon had they dropped anchor than Luffy was off and running through the city looking for a place to grab a bite to eat. Without waiting for anyone to say anything, Run hops the rail of the ship and gives chase. "I'm going after him!" Run yells back at them, running off after his errant Captain into the crowded, sun baked streets. The place is a whirl-wind of activity to say the least. Merchents line the streets, attempting to hawk their wares to anyone who will listen...he even passes some man attempting to sell him a 'golden' apple.

"This place is hotter than Hell," Run complains under the blazing sun. He unbuttons his shirt completely while he rapidly scans the crowds of people.

" **FOOOOOOOD**!" exclaims a familiar voice, attracting his attention. Run stares down the street, catching sight of a straw-hat wearing person sprinting through the crowds. Luffy doesn't seem to notice his red haired friend as he goes blinding charging towards the delicious smell in the air. "I can smell **FOOD**!" The doorway is in his sight! Only a bit more to that delicious smell! Only a bit more...just a bit more...why is it so far away?!

"Going somewhere, Luffy?" Luffy looks back quickly, finding himself staring right at Run, who is holding him tight by the back of his shirt...and a quick glance down tells him that he's holding him _off_ the ground, too.

"To get some food," Luffy says, pointing to the restaurant ahead of them.

"I see that.I'm sure the rest of the crew is hungry, too. But first things first we need to-"

"Gum-Gum..."

"Oh, Hell-"

"...Rocket!" Luffy sends an arm sailing through the restuarant door, and the two of them following moments later.

"- **NO**!" They strike some unfortunate soul square in the back, and send the man crashing through the wall of the restuarant while they go sprawling to the floor. Luffy doesn't stay down for long, however, recovering nearly immediately and seating himself at the bar to ask for food. Run stares blankly at the ceiling for several long moments before finally standing and brushing himself off. The owner appears to be unsure what to do but after enough goading he serves Luffy what seems like a full course dinner.

"A-And you, sir?" the man finally stutters out.

"Haaah...I guess...just coffee for me." The man nods, and several moments later places a cup of black coffee on the bar in front of the red head.

"Aaaah! Everything is so delicious, Run!" Luffy gushes in between bites. "You should really try it! Old guy, the food is really delicious!"

"A-Aah, thanks, but...uhhh, shouldn't the two of you be running away?"

"What for?" He motions to the large hole knocked in the wall...and the wall beyond that, and the one beyond that. "What's with those holes? Did something happen?" Run, like the man, simply stares at the apparently clueless Luffy in response. "What a strange shop! Is it some kind of hobby, old man?"

"Wha- That's _your_ handy-work, Luffy!" Run tells him.

"Mine? I don't remember knocking holes in the wall." The red head simply shakes his head in response...having to pay for this is _really_ going to make Nami. Suddenly the whole restaurant clears out, as if the people all suddenly have somewhere to be.

"Huh. Wonder where everyone's off to in such a hurry."

" **STRAW HAT**!" bellows a voice from the hole in the wall, moments before a tall white haired man smoking a _pair_ of cigars storms into the restaurant. To call him over-dressed for the heat would certainly be an understatement considering his heavy coat. While Run has never seen the man before he seems to know his Captain well enough. "I've been looking high and low for you, Straw Hat...and here you are in Alabasta, after all." Luffy simply continues to stuff his face while staring at the man. "Quit eating!"

"Someone you know, Luffy?"

"Hmmm...AAH! I remember you!" Luffy exclaims. "You're that strange guy from Loguetown! The one with the smoke!" Luffy suddenly reaches out, and stuffs all the remaining food into his mouth, swelling his cheeks out like balloons. "We should run away." With that, he turns and sprints out the door leaving the two men standing there in stunned silence for a moment before Run takes off following, mug crashing to the ground. Despite the head start, Run catches up with his fleeing Captain quickly.

"Why are we running away?"

"That guy is bad news! He uses some weird smoke-moves and my attacks can't hurt him!"

"Smoke moves?!"

"Yeah! We should just run away for now!"

"Tashigi!" bellows the familiar voice of the white haired man, attracting the attention of a woman several meters ahead of them. "Stop that guy! It's Straw Hat!"

"Straw Hat?!" echos Tashigi. "Understood, Captain Smoker!" She charges them, hand grasping the tsuka of his katana as they rush each other head on. "I'll stop them!" Luffy dodges her attack by suddenly leaping straight up, bounding off a near-by awning and propelling himself up to the roof of a building. Run, on the other hand, drops and slides under the attack before bounding to his feet again and cutting off down an alley in the opposite direction.

"I'll catch up later, Cap'n!" Run yells, pausing briefly to glance back at his friend.

"You jerk, don't run away!" Luffy complains, disappearing over the edge of the roof quickly. Smoker suddenly turns half of himself into a plume of smoke and follows Luffy up to the roof.

"Don't let anyone get away, Tashigi!" Smoker yells to his subordinate. "Capture that red head, and then search every square inch of this town for the rest of the crew!"

"So he's a Devil Fruit user, too?" He looks down just in time to dodge a Marine's saber. "Whoa!" Run grabs the man by his shirt, spins him around and throws him into the group of approaching Marines before disappearing down the alley quickly. He cuts a winding path through the alley-ways, leaving his pursuers behind. He's sure that he's completely given them the slip, at least until someone comes crashing down in front of him, cutting his path off quickly. "Crap!"

"Ow-ow-ow-ow!" complains the familiar voice of Luffy, sitting up quickly.

"Luffy!"

"Run!"

"Straw Hat!" Both look up at none other than Smoker, staring down from the roof-top's edge.

"Crap!" exclaim the two in unison, quickly spilling out of the alley moments before Smoker comes crashing down behind them. They take off down the street, running this way and that with the Marines hot on their heels. The Marines are nothing if not persistent, hot on their heels no matter how far their run or what path they take. Just running away isn't going to get them anywhere if they can't actually give them the shake...but before it becomes an issue Luffy suddenly comes sliding to a halt, and Run seconds after.

"Aah! Oi! Zoro!" Luffy says, turning to face the swordsman half hidden behind a crumbling wall. "Is that where everyone is hiding out?" Luffy goes running in their direction with Run following.

"Moron! Don't give us away, too!" Zoro complains. A cry from the Marines to capture the Straw Hat's sounds from behind them, alerting everyone to their no longer safe hiding place. The crew takes off running just as quickly as their Captain and First Mate.

"You're mine, Straw Hat!" Smoker yells. "White Blow!" His arm turns to smoke, and barrels in their direction. It's going to grab Luffy no matter how fast he's running.

"Enough of this crap!" Run growls. He turns, getta scraping across the scorched earth as he slides to a stop and reaches out towards Smokers fist with his left hand.

"RUN!"

"Heat Haze!" exclaims a voice familiar to both Luffy and Run, moments before a huge spout of flames crashes into the smoke. The red head leaps back, shielding his face from the intense heat and fire, and watching as someone begins to form from the flames. "That's enough. You're smoke...and I'm fire. A fight between us would last forever, ya know."

"Haaaah...this guy," Run mutters, pacing back from the slowly dwindling flames.

"Ace!" Luffy says quickly. "Ace! Is it really you?! Wait, you ate a Devil Fruit?!"

"You haven't changed a bit, Luffy," Ace says, glancing back at them. "Aah...and neither have you, Run." He looks back towards Smoker. "And that's also, right! I've eaten the Flare-Flare Fruit!"

"You've done a lot more than eaten a Devil Fruit, Ace," Run retorts, eyeing the tattoo on Ace's back.

"We'll chat later! I'll take care of these guys, so you guys just run away! I'll catch up!" They take off quickly, not sparing a glance back as they run back in the direction of the Going Merry...

* * *

"How?" Run mutters, gently pinching the bridge of his nose. "I mean...I can't take my eyes of him for five minutes." Provisions are quickly stowed, and secured...and some hidden to protect them from their Captain. The anchor is lifted and the sail is set as they intend to head further on into Alabasta.

"There should be a cove ahead where we can hide out," Vivi tells the crew.

"We'll drop anchor there, then."

"Jeez, he's always causing trouble like this," complains Usopp. Run slowly climbs the steps to the upper deck, and approaches the bow of the Going Merry to out across the sea. The red head isn't too terribly worried about Luffy's absence. Odds are that he's met up with Ace, and if that's the case then no doubt he's trying to steer their errant Captain back to the crew and the ship. Sensing someone beside him he glances over at the person and actually chuckles a bit.

"Alright...just what is with that outfit, Robin?" Run questions her, taking in her strange clothing.

"I thought I might try out the local fashions," Robin tells him simply. She, like Vivi and Nami, certainly had the look of dancers. "Is it that strange?"

"It suits you."

"Really?" The red head responds with a nod in response. "I bought you some clothing while you were running around with Luffy. It's inside." Run chuckles again and crosses his arms across his chest.

"I dunno. I don't think I could pull off an outfit like THAT, Robin."

"Well, that's a shame," Robin says simply, earning a laugh from him. "But if that's how you feel, then, I suppose it's a good thing I bought you something else, isn't it? It should help keep you cool." Again he nods in response. "Now...let me ask you something. When you stopped to face that man, Smoker, what _were_ you planning?"

"I was planning to stop him, of course."

"Using one of those tricks you have?"

"Yeah, something like that. But luckily enough, Ace interfered on my behalf."

"Yes...'Fire Fist' Ace, I've heard of him. That tattoo-"

"I know what it is. It's Whitebeard's symbol. I never would thought he'd have ended up a member of a Yonko's crew."

"Oi! I can see Luffy!" Sanji suddenly calls, attracting their attention. "Yeah...yeah, that stupid face is definitely his!" They're all surprised when Luffy suddenly stretches an arm and grasps the railing of the Going Merry. He comes flying to the ship like a bat out of Hell seconds later, smashing into Sanji.

"I'm back!" Luffy exclaims, laughing like a fool as everyone gathers. "Aah! That's right! Ace!"

"Is it gonna be alright to just leave him there?" Usopp asks, staring at the shore in the distance.

"Huh? He'll be alright. Ace is really strong, ya know!"

"He's strong?"

"Yeah! Even before he'd eaten the Flare-Flare Fruit I was never able to beat him in a fight!" Everyone seems to be amazed by this admission. "But I'd win now if I tried! I've gotten a lot stronger, so I know I could beat him!"

"Just who would you beat?" asks Ace, suddenly landing on the railing behind him.

"Oh! Ace, this is the crew I was talking about!"

"Thank you all for looking after my little brother." He offers them all a bow which everyone but Run returns. "I know that he can be a bit of a handful but I'd appreciate it if you continued to look after him! Please, take good care of him!" Everyone appears be in awe of the polite Ace, who they have difficulty believing is actually related to their own reckless Captain...everyone except for the red head who simply sighs in response. "Aah, Run, I already made the offer to Luffy but...how about coming with me and joining Whitebeard's crew? We could make good use of your strength."

"Haaah...you do realize that Whitebeard and Shanks are technically enemies, right?" Run retorts simply.

"Does it really matter?"

"Look, either way, I'm still gonna pass."

"Aah, well. Honestly, it's not like I actually expected you to join me, ya know." Ace meets his gaze firmly. "Look here...the only person who is going to be crowned King of the Pirates is Whitebeard, not Luffy." The red head actually chuckles in response.

"If you say so, Ace."

"Hate to break up the reunion but...it looks like we've got trouble," Zoro says motioning towards to bow of the ship. In the distance, five Baroque Works ships appear to block their path.

"I'll clean 'em up," Ace tells everyone standing on the railing. He turns and drops over the edge of the Going Merry onto a small skiff, which immediately takes off in the direction of the on-coming ships. Apparently, the small skiff is somehow powered by his Devil Fruit abilities. In such a small vessel it's easy for Ace to out-maneuver the larger ships, and even easier with his abilities to lay waste to them. "Fire Fist!" A single blow broad side destroys all five ships, reducing them to little more than smoldering, splintered wood that's quickly swallowed by the sea.

"Jeez, talk about destructive power," Usopp mutters.

"So cool!" gushes Luffy, laughing.

"Haaah...he really hasn't changed a bit," Run says, watching Ace and his skiff bob about on the churning sea. The red head glances briefly at his Captain and then back at Ace who is sailing back towards the Going Merry. "Never a dull moment, I guess..."


	18. Cross the Desert! On to Yuba!

They sail up Sandora River slowly, their destination the town of Yuba which happens to be where the rebellion has it's head-quarters in Alabsata. Unfortunately, to get there they're going to have to take a little walk across open desert. Down in the Men's barracks of the ship, Run changes into the clothing that Robin has selected for him. He strips off his shirt, and replaces it with a long sleeved, thin cotton shirt with a trio of buttons at the neck-line, all of which he leaves open. A tan colored cloak follows with a blue and white keffiyeh around his neck ready to be pulled up to shield his face from any sandstorm that they might have the misfortune of weathering.

After changing, he heads back up to the deck of the Going Merry. They're close to where they're going to be weighing anchor and everyone is walking around on the deck in preparation for departure from the ship. "Looks like everything fits, then," Robin says, approaching him as he pulls the sleeves of his shirt up to the elbow.

"Yeah, seems like it," Run agrees. "Hmm...ya know, I think I liked your dancer outfit better."

"Really? Well, if you like it that much I guess I'll just have to hang onto it, then. That way I can give you a private show, some time."

"Haaaah, now _there's_ an idea...but is it a promise?"

"Who knows? I guess you'll just have to play your cards right."

"Guess I'll just have to be patient, then, won't I?" Hearing his name called from the bow of the ship Run sighs and heads in the direction with Robin following. "Jeez, what now?" Gathered at the bow of the Going Merry is Luffy, and Ace, the two chatting happily among themselves as if they'd never really parted ways years ago. When Luffy notices the red head approaching he grins from ear to ear and holds up a small scrap of paper quickly.

"Run, look, look!" gushes Luffy. "Ace gave it to me! It's called a-"

"Vivre Card," Run finishes, watching his captain deflate in response.

"Aah, so you already knew. That's no fun." Run chuckles a bit in response, and reaches into his back pocket to fish out his wallet. From within the leather object he produces a slip of square paper and shows it to Ace and Luffy. "So you have one, too?"

"Oi, Run, how come you never said you had one?" Ace questions him. "It could be pretty handy, ya know."

"No one asked," Run tells them both quite bluntly. "Besides, that it was never an issue. Luffy and I haven't been separated by all that great of a distance. If he were going to go sailing across the Grand Line without me, I'd have given him a piece of mine when we parted ways."

"Oi!" calls the voice of Sanji, attracting everyone's attention. "Lunch is ready! Come and get it!" Luffy and Ace go sprinting towards the kitchen immediately, leaving the two of them standing there. Run can practically _feel_ Robin's stare boring holes into him, and after a moment turns to face the woman.

"So...a Vivre Card, hm?" Robin says calmly. "You know...I wonder just how much trouble I could have been saved if I had one of those?" The red head chuckles a bit in response, and tears his piece of the Vivre Card in two and hands one half to her. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

"So, can I assume that Shanks has the other half of the card?"

"Yeah."

"...And the other Vivre Card? It's Shanks, am I right?"

"The other Vivre Card...you mean, the one that's hidden in my wallet?" After a moment he actually chuckles bit in response. "Haaah...you know, I'm not so sure I like the idea of someone, even _you_ , going through my personal things, Robin."

"I can only offer an apology." Run sighs heavily and then nods in the affirmative.

"Yes, the other Vivre Card belongs to Shanks. When I told him that I was going to stay in Foosha Village with Luffy, he gave me that half of his Vivre Card. It was his way of making sure that we could always find each other again, if the need arises." He sighs again and then turns towards the kitchen. "We should probably go eat...between Luffy and Ace, it'll be nothing short of amazing if there's still something left..."

* * *

After lunch which turned out to be rather lively what with Sanji screaming at Usopp and Luffy to quit playing with their food, they'd made a brief stop to send Carue off to deliver a letter to the king. From that point it was only a little further to where they were going to weigh anchor. They had made a stop earlier to let Carue off the ship only to send the duck running to deliver a message to Vivi's father. Run is a bit unsure as to whether or not he'll be alright but Vivi seems confident that he'll be just fine. The red head sighs and takes a sip of his coffee as he stares past the bow of the ship.

While everyone is walking around on deck making preparations for their trek across the desert, it isn't long before someone finally notices something different. "Aaah! Nami! Vivi! Robin! What happened?! Where did your dance outfits go?!" Sanji suddenly demands, having finally noticed their change in clothing.

"In the desert, it's important to cover up," Vivi tells him. "Any exposed skin will wind up terribly sunburned otherwise."

"Aah...my beautiful dancer girls." While Sanji is facing the end of his world, everyone else hurries up their preparations to disembark the ship. It isn't long until they've reached their drop off point, and Zoro heads to the bow of the ship to drop anchor. Of course, no sooner has the anchor splashed down, than a strange horde of creatures comes barreling out of the water and onto the shore.

"What the hell are those things?" Run mutters.

"Turtles?" says Zoro, unconvinced himself.

"No, those are obviously seals," Luffy asserts.

"They're certainly cute," Robin says simply.

"Kung-Fu Dugongs!" shouts Vivi, staring at the strange creatures. It begins squeaking out something at them, motioning their way and that with it's flippers.

"He says, 'If you wanna come on shore, then you've gotta beat me'," Chopper translates. "'Or else go to the other shore, cowards!'" Almost everyone is caught off guard by these strange creature's taunting...well, everyone but Usopp who immediately jumps up on the railing.

"Hmph! I'm not just gonna sit by quietly while someone calls me a coward!" Usopp boasts. "Bring it on!" He leaps off the ship...straight into a fierce beating by the dugong. Of course, Luffy jumps from the Merry the very next second and with a single punch beats the same dugong. Rather than being angry it instead bows to their Captain.

"Huh?" Luffy grunts. "What's it doing?"

"It's a Kung-Fu Dugong rules. The loser beings the winner's disciple," Vivi tells them, watching as the whole group of dugongs suddenly bows to their Captain.

"That's a lot of disciples," Run mutters, somewhat amused as Luffy begins instructing them. After his impromptu lessons, and gathering everything that they might need for the trek they're ready to go...even the dugongs are ready to go for that matter.

"Alright! Let's head for Yuba!" Luffy chirps, ignoring the dugongs gathered behind him.

"O-Oi...are you bringing them with us?!" Zoro demands, staring at the large group.

"Luffy, sea creatures can't just go wandering across the desert, ya know," Run adds.

"He's right, they could be seriously hurt by the heat and dry air," Vivi tells him. The dugongs, however, don't seem to recognize the danger and instead cling to their 'Sensei'. This seems to make both Vivi and Nami feel bad for the dugongs.

"I know what to do!" Chopper says, as he sniffs around their packs for a moment. "Ah-ha!" From one of the packs he removes a shank of meat and offers it to the dugongs. "Here! You can have this! So, please, stay here, alright?" Rather than respond with words they respond by swarming the little reindeer, much to his immediate fear. "Aaah! Help me!" A number of arms immediately sprout from the ground, and quickly carry the small doctor back into Robin's arms. "A-Aah, thank you, Robin."

"Of course, doctor," Robin replies, and although he's safe from the dugongs she doesn't relinquish her hold on him. It takes quite a bit of food to bribe them all into staying behind, but when everything has finally been settled they begin their trek across the desert at long last. Though he's only spent a small amount of time in the desert Run is already positive that he hates it completely.

"Who would choose to live in the desert?" Run complains loud enough for only Robin to hear.

"Its not that bad once you've gotten used to it. And things could be worse. We could have had to worry about those cute dugongs following us across the desert."

"It's a good thing Chopper was able to persuade them not to follow us." Walking several feet ahead of the rest of them Vivi, Usopp and Zoro suddenly come to a stop at the top of one of the many sand dunes that they've had to climb. "We can't be there yet."

"Oi, what's going on?" Luffy asks, as they slowly climb the dune. Stretched out before them seems to be the remains of what was once a city, now reclaimed by the desert. A number of buildings lie in ruins, and others have long since been swallowed entirely by the ever shifting sands of the desert. If there was life here before, there is no longer. "Is this Yuba?"

"No," Vivi says somberly. "This is Eramalu..or rather, what is left of it." Her hands ball into fists as she stares at the ruined city. "It was once known as the City of Green."

"In the middle of the desert?" Run asks. "Kinda hard to picture."

"It is now." Vivi turns to face them slowly. "The sight of this town is a perfect example of what Baroque Works has done to this country. It's an example of what the people of Alabasta have had to endure." After a moment of silence she turns away. "Let's go." They push forward, walking through the remains of the town slowly.

"Wow! There's nothing here at all!" chirps Luffy, head turning this way and that.

"It's little more than a ghost town now," Vivi agrees. "It's difficult to imagine but up until recently Erumalu was a thriving city full of greenery and people." She explains that although rain was always scarce the people always managed to survive by saving every last bit of water that they could. But, unfortunately for the people of the city, for three whole years not a single drop of rain fell.

"Oi, even if it didn't rain, what about the river we just crossed?" Zoro questions her.

"Yeah! Couldn't they just pipe the water in from the river?" Usopp proposes.

"The answer to that is up ahead," Vivi tells them, leading them forward. She goes on to tell them that in the entire history of Alabasta the rain has never stopped completely, not even once. But even though the rain had stopped across the county, there was at least one place where it seemed to continue raining consistently. That place was Alubarna, the capital of the country, and the place where the king resides. People had taken to calling this rain the 'Kings Miracle', at least up until a shipment of Dance Powder was discovered in Nanohana and bound for the capital.

"Dance Powder?" echos Nami.

"Huh? You've heard of it?" Luffy questions her.

"Only rumors. It's known as a 'rain-summoning powder'. Supposedly, it was created by a researcher in a country where it doesn't rain. By creating a misty smoke from the powder, and allowing it to rise into the air you can artificially create rain. That's what Dance Powder is."

"My, you're surprisingly well informed, Navigator," Robin says, earning a bit of a chuckle from her.

"Like I said, I've only heard rumors."

"Oi, oi, wouldn't something like that be perfect for this situation?" Usopp asks. "I mean, if it can create rain-"

"It isn't without a catch," Robin tells him. "As the name suggests, the country that created the powder was, at first, almost happy enough to dance. Unfortunately, their neighboring country suffered from a drought. The powder quickly, and artificially matures clouds that would develop naturally into rain clouds on their own further downwind."

"Aaah! I get it! By using Dance Powder, you're basically stealing the rain that would have fallen in a neighboring country."

"Exactly. As a result, war eventually erupted between the neighboring countries. Ever since, the World Government has banned both the production and possession of Dance Powder."

"And with Alabasta in the middle of this drought, when the Dance Powder turned up in the capital people naturally jumped to conclusions," Run assumes. "Baroque Works framed him pretty easily." Vivi suddenly stops, and turns to face them quickly.

"Yes, the people fell for Baroque Works plot," Vivi confirms for them. "Look." She motions to what appears to be a dried up river bed ahead of them. "That is all that's left of the towns canal. It used to bring water from the Sandora River, but even it was eventually destroyed. With no water flowing into the city, people were eventually forced to abandon it entirely in search of a greener oasis. Distrust grows daily in the kingdom now, and as a result it wasn't long before the fighting broke out."

The wind picks up very suddenly, and the loud howling of it through the deserted town surrounds them. "What's going on?" Usopp asks, looking around. "Is it Baroque Works?"

"It's just the wind," Run tells him, reaching up and pulling his keffiyeh up over his mouth and nose. "Heads up." Ahead of them, swirling violently, and quickly rushing in their direction is a large dust devil. It runs right over them, the winds swirling this way and that and blasting them all with a nice coating of sand from head to toe before finally moving on. They sputter and spit, and Run scrubs a hand violently through his hair in an attempt to shake out the sand. "Should've worn a hat."

"Look!" calls Vivi, pointing ahead of them. "Someone's collapsed!" They approach quickly, intending to offer help to the person but as they draw close it becomes apparent that the person's days of requiring _anything_ are _long_ over. A cracked, and dusty skull lies half buried in the sand beside a ripped, old cloak.

"Haaah...anyone care to say a prayer?"

"Why?" mutters Vivi, slowly kneeling down in front of the skull. "What did we do to deserve this? Isn't it enough that we have to fight with the environment itself just to survive? Isn't life hard enough for us? Well?" Vivi looks back at them, or more specifically, Robin. "Why did you people pick us?! Why not someone else?!"

"Don't you think that's a question you should be asking Crocodile?" Robin tells her. Vivi immediately jumps to her feet and turns to face them.

"Do you really believe as if you're completely innocent in all of this?! You-"

"Enough," Run says firmly. "You two are _not_ going to rehash this argument." He steps past Vivi, squats down and digs a small hole in the sand to bury the skull in. "Crocodile is the enemy here. Crocodile and Baroque Works. No one and nothing else." In the distance, a sound like thunder rumbles and Vivi watches as a large building collapses. Slowly, Luffy, Sanji and Usopp come stalking back towards the group, the destruction of the building apparently their doing. "Haaah, really?"

"Jeez, they act just like a bunch of children," Zoro mutters, watching their approach.

"Luffy," Vivi mumbles.

"Vivi, let's hurry to Yuba," Luffy tells her, walking past her. "I'm anxious to take care of this, now." While the rest of the group follows after Luffy and Vivi, Run hangs back for a moment to say a quick prayer for the dead so that they can rest in peace.

"Oi! Run!" calls Usopp. "You're gonna be left behind at this rate! Hurry up!"

"Yeah, Usopp..."

* * *

Up and down the dunes, they march ever forward towards Yuba. Between the constant climbing, and intense heat it doesn't seem as if they're going to have even the slightest bit of respite. "It's so hot!" Luffy complains, using a walking stick to prop himself up. "I can't even sweat! I think I'm gonna melt!"

"I think Chopper has it rougher," Run tells his Captain, glancing back at the small reindeer that Zoro pulling behind him on a small make shift sled. "Haaah...ya know, I was under the impression that the desert would be a bit more flat than this, Vivi.."

"Unfortunately, it isn't so," Vivi tells them. "Because of the age of the desert some of the dunes here are over three-hundred meters in height."

"It's too hot," Luffy complains again. "I can't take anymore of this. I need a drink."

"Just one mouthful," Nami says. "We need to conserve water." Of course, no sooner has she finished telling him this than he swells his cheeks up, attempting to hold as much water as possible. Naturally, this results in an argument and then a fight involving Nami, Luffy, Usopp and Sanji which only wastes more energy. After they've worn themselves out sufficiently, they continue on wards to Yuba, and though it hasn't been long at all since they've eaten it doesn't stop Luffy from complaining.

"Oi, Sanji, let's have lunch!" Luffy says. "Ya know, a pirates lunch! With plenty of meat!"

"When Vivi says so," Sanji retorts.

"Aah, Vivi, can we eat? I'm running out of strength, ya know!"

"But we're not even a tenth of the way to Yuba yet, Luffy," Vivi tells him. Even so, Luffy continues his begging, and while normally it would fall upon deaf ears Vivi makes him an offer instead. "How about this? We'll take a break at the next group of rocks we find?" Luffy pumps his fists into the air with a jubilant grin on his face.

"Alright~!" Luffy cheers. "Let's hurry to the next rocks! Whoever wins rock-paper-scissors has to carry everyone's stuff!"

"Wins?" Run echos in confusion. "What's the motivation, then, exactly?"

"Shouldn't the loser carry everything?" Sanji asks. Regardless, they all participate in the game...with their Captain coming out with an over-whelming victory. It wasn't much of a surprise, actually. Honestly, who in their right mind would actually want to make things more difficult on themselves? And so, Luffy drags a make-shift sled weighted down with all their packs, and supplies, several meters behind them all.

"A-Aah...so...heavy!" Luffy complains. "So heavy...and so hot! I'm gonna shrivel up! I-I'm the winner...so why...?"

"I wonder what would happen if a Rubber Person shriveled up?" Robin muses, staring back at their Captain.

"Oi! Rock's spotted, dead ahead!" Usopp announces, adjusting his goggles for a better picture.

"Alright, break time!" screams Luffy, rushing past everyone towards the rocks in the distance. " **Foooood~**!"

"I thought that stuff was supposed to be heavy." They push forward after their errant Captain, not in as big of a hurry as him but certainly lighter and quicker of step. Of course, they haven't gotten very far at all when he suddenly comes sprinting back towards them. "Now he's coming back?" Luffy is shouting at the top of his lungs about some sick birds, and calling for Chopper's help. Naturally, their doctor jumps off of his small sled and goes running after Luffy towards the rocks.

"Wait...sick birds?" mutters Vivi, as they follow after the two quickly. "Aaah! Luffy, no! Those are Warusagi Birds!" Of course, when they finally return to the area instead of finding sick birds, they instead find their belongings gone, apparently stolen by the birds.

"Aaah! Our stuff is gone!"

"I'm sorry, I should have mentioned it sooner. Warusagi Birds pretend to be injured to trick travelers and steal their belongings."

"Seriously?!" exclaims Luffy. "That's so dishonest! How could they trick me?!"

"Luffy, you idiot!" shouts Sanji, grabbing him by the front of his shirt. "Is that all you've got to say for yourself?! We just lost three days of provisions and all of our things! How are we supposed to cross the desert without any food or water?!"

"It's not my fault! They tricked me."

"Is a bird smarter than you, Luffy?!" The two break out into a full blown argument while everyone else watches on, at least until Zoro, Ace and Run drop down to relax.

"Let's take a break," Run says, heaving a sigh. "The heat is making us all short tempered." They all find a place to sit down, ignoring the arguing pair while they do.

"I'm sure it'll turn out fine," Zoro adds. "At the least, it's nothing that'll kill us so let's just put it out of mind for now." The two continue arguing loudly for several minutes before they suddenly stop, having finally noticed the thieves several meters away from them...as if taunting them, the bird at the head of the flock takes a deep draw from the water they've stolen. This is enough to provoke Luffy into chasing them out into open desert while everyone calls for him to come back.

While everyone is yelling, Robin quietly takes a seat beside the red head. "I wish I could say that I'm surprised but..."

"We certainly never lack for excitement," Robin says softly. The two share a comfortable silence for several moments before Robin asks, "It was Haki, wasn't it? That you were going to use again Smoker." The red head glances side-long at her, a crimson brow arched in response. "Don't look so surprised, Run, I did watch you train when we were younger."

"Haaah...yeah," Run tells her in a low tone. "Busoshoku Haki." He slowly draws his knees up and rests his elbows on them. "The old man always intended for me to join his crew, and since Haki users are fairly common in the New World..."

"He made you learn." The red head chuckles, and nods firmly in response. "I suppose that's a good thing." The next second the ground begins to tremble, and loud rumbling sounds in the distance. A cloud of sand rapidly rolls over the dunes in their direction, and from out of it comes none other than Luffy...riding on the back of a camel. "Oh, what's he gotten into now?" Run mutters, standing slowly. Behind him, a huge lizard bursts from beneath the sand and continues chasing. "I guess that's that excitement you were talking about, eh, Robin?"

"What is that?!" Zoro asks, staring at the gigantic lizard.

"A Sandora Dragon!" exclaims Vivi. "It's the largest reptile we have living here in the desert! It has razor sharp fangs and claws but it rarely has to use them because it has a tendency to under the sand, springing out to swallow it's prey whole!"

"Luffy really has a knack for attracting trouble, huh?" laughs Ace, watching Zoro, Sanji and Run go rushing out to meet their Captain.

"Oi, Luffy, bit off more than you can chew, huh!" exclaims Zoro.

"No, I brought meat!"

"We'll lend a hand!"

"Gum-Gum Whip!"

"Tatsumaki!"

"Epaule Shoot!"

"Sea King's Bite!" The dragon shudders one, and then collapses to the sand motionless. After killing it, Sanji determined that the creature was edible and so they cut off several large pieces and fried them on several nearby rocks. While Luffy is eating, they take this opportunity to question him about the camel. Of course, he doesn't seem to have any answers. He tells them that he simply happened across the animal while being eaten by some 'mystery plant' while he was chasing the birds.

"It's saddled, so it isn't wild," Run says. "Wonder what happened to it's owner."

"Perhaps he was digested by the mystery plants first?" Robin offers. Either way, in the end they decide to keep the camel, who Nami quickly names Lashes, since it'll make traveling to Yuba all the easier...or so they thought, at least until Chopper translated for the camel and made it clear it would only carry the girls...naturally, things wouldn't be any easier...

* * *

One would think that things could only get better after losing everything to a bunch of thieving birds...and they would be wrong. They'd been left behind by the girls as a result of their riding on 'Lashes' and have had to resort to following the hoof prints. If the wind were blowing any harder they might have been totally lost. "Whooaaa! It's a tsunami!" exclaims Luffy, flailing his arms rapidly.

"What the hell?" Zoro asks, watching Luffy run this way and that.

"Oi, what's gotten into him?" Run mutters.

"He said he couldn't take it anymore," Usopp explains, pointing back towards the remains of what was probably a cactus. "So, he ate one of this things. For the juice." Chopper looks back at the cactus and immediately jumps off of his make shift sled.

"He ate that?!" Chopper screams. "That cactus is used to make hallucinogenic drugs!"

"Aaaaahh! I'm gonna kick your ass!" Luffy screams, smashing Choppers sled only seconds before collapses.

"Tranquilizer!" exclaims the small doctor sticking Luffy with a needle.

"Obviously he ate it," Run complains, gently pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Alright, no one else eat the desert plants." After a few moments the red head scans the group. The girls are gone, that's nothing new since they're riding ahead of them but...they're not the only one's. "Oi, where's Ace?"

"Wasn't he here a bit ago?" Sanji asks. "Did he get seperated?"

"Just great."

"Should we try to find him?"

"No. He'll find us, believe me." They managed to follow the camel's hoof prints to catch up with the girls, where they explained why they had fallen behind...of course, when the sedatives finally wore off and Luffy woke up they gave him a sound beating for doing something as stupid as eating a random cactus. They pushed onward until the sun finally began to set, and for the red head this was his favorite time. It wasn't blazing hot but it wasn't exactly freezing either. Unfortunately, they weren't to be granted even the slightest of reprieves as the wind began to howl, buffeting them all with sand.

"Everyone, see that light?" Vivi says, pointing ahead of them. "That's Yuba! But...something is wrong..." They push on, and as they draw closer it became apparent exactly what the problem was. The entire city was absolutely blanketed by a huge sandstorm. Yuba is hardly in better shape when compared to Erumalu, and certainly doesn't appear as if it's _anyone's_ base of operations. In fact, the city appears to be on the verge of being swallowed whole by the surrounding sands. When the sandstorm finally subsides they're able to venture safely into the city, finding it's streets to be deserted and it's infrastructure to be in ruins...well, the streets are _nearly_ deserted.

In the middle of the street, standing in a large hole is a man shoveling away at the endless sand. "Are you lot travelers?" the old man asks, not stopping his shoveling. "You most be tired after your trek across the desert. I hate to disappoint but this town is a bit dried up right now. Still, you're free to rest here if you wish. Take your pick of inn's...they were the town's pride once, after all."

"We'd heard that this the rebel army was somewhere here in the city," Vivi says, hiding her face from him.

"What business do you youngsters have with the rebels?!" He immediately begins throwing things at the lot of them. "You brats! Don't tell me you came here to join the rebellion!" It takes him a moment to calm down but when he does he goes right back to shoveling the sand. "Hmph. It doesn't matter either way, I suppose. Those fools packed up and left town long ago."

" _ **WHAT?!**_ " they all exclaim in unison.

"That sandstorm you saw wasn't the first, and certainly won't be the last. Little by little this oasis dried up, leaving what you see before you. Not even the rebel army could have survived if they'd stayed, and so they moved their base to Katorea."

"Katorea? What's that, Vivi?" Luffy asks her. "Is it close?"

"It's by Nanohana," Robin tells him. "Back in the direction we've come from."

"Haaaah...naturally," mutters Run, tugging his keffiyeh down from his nose to his neck.

"Then what was the point of coming all this way, exactly?" Zoro asks aloud.

"Vivi?" echos the old man, slowly climbing out of the hole. "Is that you, Vivi?" As he draws closer everyone is on guard just in case he tries to hurt her but...she seems to recognize him. As it turns out, the man is named Toto, and is the actually someone she's known she was a girl. He tells her that no matter what he believes in the king, and that he would never betray his people. "Please, Vivi! I'm begging you! Stop the rebellion! You're the only one who can do it!"

"We will," Vivi assures him. "No matter what, we'll stop the rebellion..."

* * *

With the sun setting, and everyone worn out for travel, they picked an inn to bed down in for the night. The room is rather large and has enough beds for the whole crew to sleep in one room comfortably. A mattress would be a nice change of pace from sleeping in a hammock as they did on the ship. But despite their fatigue it only took a single thrown pillow to kick off one heck of a contest, and send the feathers flying. "You wouldn't think that they'd just crossed the desert by looking at them," Robin mutters, watching Zoro, Chopper, Sanji and Usopp throwing pillows and wrestling each other.

"They'll wear themselves out eventually," Run says, as he pulls off his keffiyeh and his cloak and tosses them across the foot of the bed, and right beside Robin. "What you should be worried about is their snoring. It's loud enough to wake the dead."

"I see...and what about you? Do you snore?"

"Not that I'm aware of...why? Planning on doubling up?"

"Maybe I am." Just as Run had predicted, it takes only a bit of time for everyone to finally wind down and head to bed. While everyone else seems to have no problem falling asleep, Run finds himself staying awake. Luffy has yet to return from...where ever it is that he's gone, and so after a bit of simply lying awake in the darkness he finally heaves a heavy sigh and rolls out of bed. He slips his geta on and heads out the door in search of his friend. The red head finds him, oddly enough, helping the old man Toto in his digging.

Of course, Luffy's style of digging his far from helpful as he tosses the majority of his sand into the hole that Toto is digging. "Haaah...ya know, you're never gonna get anywhere digging like that," Run says, announcing his presence the the two of them. Luffy's sand slinging ceases, and the two look at the red head. "Throwing sand everywhere like that is just filling up the hole Toto's digging."

"Aaah, but there isn't really a better way to dig, ya know?" Luffy tells him. "I don't have a shovel, after all." Without another word he turns and goes right back to his sand-slinging. Run ducks an errant bit of sand but Toto isn't nearly so lucky, and unfortunately catches it full in the face. He stumbles back, sputtering and spitting but doesn't seem to be at all bothered as he begins laughing immediately after.

"That youngster sure is full of spunk," Toto says, watching Luffy dig vigorously.

"Yeah, that's Luffy for you," Run says, squatting down on the balls of his feet and resting his elbows on his knees. "Thanks again, for putting us up."

"It's no problem. As I said, these buildings are entirely deserted anymore. If anything, I should be thanking you youngsters." Run shakes his head in response.

"Don't thank us yet, Toto. We haven't really done anything."

"Oh, but you have. If nothing else you've given this old man hope. Hope that things can one day return to the way they were before the drough. Before all the fighting, and all the death." After a bit more talking with Toto, and watching Luffy dig, Run finally heads back to the hotel to get some sleep. Oddly enough, when he returns to the hotel that they're staying at he finds Robin leaning against the wall by the entrance, head turned up towards the black sky. Hearing him approach, she looks down at the red head who doesn't stop his approach until he's standing in front her.

He leans in, placing a hand on the wall beside her head as he does. "Haaaah...so, what's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" Run asks, a smile appearing on his face. Robin arches a brow in response, and Run chuckles a bit. "Yeah, that was pretty corny, huh?"

"Just a little," Robin tells him, smiling now. "But I suppose that's fine every now and again."

"I thought you were in bed."

"You woke me up."

"Aah, sorry."

"I don't know if just an apology will suffice." Run nods in understanding before leaning in and pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. Robin steps forward, pressing herself against him as her arms wrap themselves around his neck. His free hand slips around her waist, holding her slim form flush against him. Her kisses are urgent, and insistent, and she takes control from him in an instant. It drags on, neither wanting to break contact, and pressed as firmly as she is against him, it doesn't take much to notice just what kind of effect this is having on the red head. When they finally break the kiss Run presses his forehead against hers with a smirk.

"I'm not sure if just a kiss will be enough, Robin."

"Really?" Robin asks, smirking as his hand slides down to her behind. "Well...what did you have in mind, then...?"


	19. Infiltrate Rainbase!

Early morning sunlight comes streaming into the room, cutting through the shadows and splashing across the disheveled sheets. The bright light falls across the red head's back, and it takes only a few minutes for the heat to become uncomfortable and rouse him from his sleep. A smile appears on his face when last nights memories come flooding back and he turns his head to look over at...an empty mattress. He sits up immediately, looking around the room for her but finding her missing. Even her clothes are gone.

Naturally, the worst case scenario runs through his mind but he immediately dismisses it. It's _highly_ unlikely that anything happened in this room without waking him up. More than likely she just got up before him, dressed and left...which is probably the best thing that could have happened. There's no telling what kind of fit that Sanji would throw if they were caught in the same bed together. To Run it's just not worth the head-ache this early in the morning. So, he throws his feet over the edge of the bed and stands...just as the door starts to open.

"Run! Just how long are you planning to sleep?" Nami's voice demands, as the door is thrown right open. It would have been bad enough for him to be seen naked by just Nami...but unfortunately the Navigator is flanked by none other than Vivi. "We've...aah..." All three of them freeze, and the girls eyes dart downward. Their faces both turn a shade of crimson fit to match his hair. "Aaah...I...you..."

"Haaaah...hold on...just calm..."

"... **PERVERT**...!"

* * *

To call the morning eventful would be nothing short of an understatement. Between the girls screaming, and the beating they'd heaped on him he was already ready to just go back to bed. Of course, Sanji chewed him out afterwards for 'exposing himself' to Nami and Vivi, as well. Of course, Luffy, Usopp and Zoro found it all to be funny...even Robin laughed at his misfortune, which he had a sneaking suspicion she was a part of. How else would Nami and Vivi have known what room he was sleeping in? The red head reaches up and gently touches a hand to his still stinging cheek.

"Still hurting?" Robin asks, noticing his action.

"A little," Run tells her. "You know, the more I think on it the more I wonder...just how this happened."

"I wonder." The red head shakes his head in response. "I heard them scream all the way back with the others. From their reaction, you'd think they'd seen a monster not someone naked." Run shakes his head again and heaves a heavy sigh. Ahead of them, the edge of the city and, surprisingly, Toto come into view.

"Toto!" Luffy calls, approaching the man quickly. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to give you something before you left," Toto tells him, presenting him with a small jug. "It's water from the hole we dug last night. I managed to find a moist layer of sand, and extract some water from it. Please, take it with you."

"Thanks! I'll drink it with care!" After saying their goodbyes to the man they depart from the city, heading back in the direction that they've come from. Nami and Vivi are absolutely silent, and refuse to even _look_ in Run's direction. Which only makes the silence that's fallen among them all the more awkward. As soon as they've put some distance between Yuba and themselves, Luffy suddenly sits down, leaning against a thin tree. Everyone stops, staring at their Captain in confusion.

"Oi, Luffy, what are you doing?" Usopp asks, facing him.

"I quit," Luffy tells them all.

"You...quit?" Nami asks, confused.

"Haaaah, this is a hell of a place to quit, Luffy," Run says, motioning to the desert around them. "At least wait until we're back at the Merry."

"Luffy, we haven't got time to put up with your whims," Usopp tells him. "C'mon. Get up. We've got a long way to go."

"Aren't we going back?" Chopper questions him.

"If we don't got back to Katorea and stop the revolt, then millions of people are going to get hurt!" Sanji shouts. "This is for Vivi! Now, let's go!" The cook grabs Luffy by the front of his shirt...only for their Captain to toss him aside easily.

"Why, Luffy?" Run plainly asks. "Why are you quitting?"

"Because it's pointless, Run," Luffy says equally as plainly. While everyone else is seemingly taken aback by this attitude, Run actually chuckles a bit and squats down in front of his Captain, balancing on the balls of his feet...a rather difficult feat considering he's wearing geta.

"I'm sure some people would beg to differ, ya know." Luffy growls in frustration.

"I wanna kick Crocodiles ass!" He looks past Run at Vivi, who is standing several feet away from the two. "Vivi...even if we stop the people from revolting, will that actually stop Crocodile? Besides that, will we even be able to do anything in Katorea? We're pirates, aren't we? Things would be better off without us."

"He can be rather blunt, can't he," Robin observes.

"Vivi, you want it so that no one dies in this fight. None of the citizens, and none of us. Even when we're facing one of the Shichibukai, and everyone is running wild, you want everyone to just stay safe and sound no matter what. But that kind of thinking is just too soft-hearted." Nami begins to protest but Robin raises a hand quickly, silencing the Navigator.

"Don't. This is good for her. She needs to hear it."

"And what's wrong with thinking like that?!" Vivi demands. "What's wrong with not wanting people to die?!"

"People die." She crosses the distance between them faster than any of them expected, and punched him hard enough to knock him flat on his back.

"Stop talking like that! That's exactly what we're trying to stop! The rebels, the Royal Army, even the innocent people of this kingdom, none of them have done anything wrong! So why?! Why do that have to pay for something that Crocodiles done?!" Luffy stands slowly, turns and punches Vivi back, knocking her to the ground.

"If you're so worried then why are you putting _your_ life in the line?!" It takes the Princess a few moments to get her wits about her, but when she finally does she stands and quickly tackles Luffy back to the ground, beginning a rather spirited assault from the full mount. Regardless, he doesn't seem phased by this in the slightest. "Even I can tell with a single glance what has to be done! Putting a single life on the line isn't going to change a thing!"

"Then what _should_ I do?! What else do I have?!" Luffy catches her wrists, and with ease tosses her off of him.

"How about risking our lives, too?! We're friends, aren't we?!" That was the final straw for Vivi, as she broke down crying. It took several minutes but when she had finally cried herself out, Luffy demanded Crocodile's location. They are going to be throwing themselves head first into the fire, and oddly enough it seems to sit just fine with everyone. Vivi pulls out the map, and explains that Crocodile is most likely holed up in a place called Rainbase, which is about a days travel north of their current position.

"Good," Zoro says, staring at the man. "I'm getting sick and tired of this round about travel."

"You don't honestly expect them to just allow us to waltz in there, do you?" Robin asks, earning everyone's attention. "Rainbase is Crocodile's base of operations. He run's Baroque Work's from the Rain Dinners. He has eyes and ears all over the entire town. More over, it's a city filled with gamblers and Billions, all of whom would simply love to make a quick Beli or earn a promotion by turning us in."

"Well, what do you suggest then?" Vivi questions her, slowly standing. "If you have a better idea just spit it out already!"

"Do you have any suggestions?" Run asks, trying to stop the situation before it degenerates into another spat.

"None that will be useful. We've already had a run in with Mr. 2...if he isn't already, Crocodile will very soon be aware of the fact that we're here. When that happens, nowhere in Rainbase is going to be safe. The city is filled with Billions. So, we'll have no choice but to fight our way to Crocodile."

"Simple enough." With nothing more left to discuss they begain their journey across the scorching desert to Rainbase. Not much of anything is said between the group, and true to Vivi's word, it takes them nearly a whole day to reach the city. Rainbase is quite a sight to them, which they should have expected considering it is a city of casinos and gamblers. In the middle of the city, as if it's the crown jewel of the whole thing, is a giant casino with a gleaming golden crocodile on top.

"That's Rain Dinners," Robin tells them, motioning to the pyramid shaped casino. "Crocodile runs the whole of Baroque Works from there."

"Haaaah...not exactly subtle," Run says, observing the city.

"From here on in, we need to be extremely careful," Zoro says. "If what Robin says is true, then they know our faces."

"It doesn't matter who we run into, I'll protect Nami, Vivi and Robin no matter what!" Sanji declares. "Nami! Vivi! Robin! Feel free to call me Prince!"

"How about a glass of water, Prince?" Run asks.

"Don't make me kick your ass, Red!"

"Prince! Water, please!" Usopp and Chopper groan in unison.

"Enough!" Zoro calls. "Just focus on keeping an eye out." Of course, everything he's said is completely ignored by Luffy who goes charging into the city screaming about water, and Usopp who goes chasing after the man, and leaving them standing far behind...

* * *

"Ya know, you keep tormenting that thing and it's gonna bite you," Run tells Zoro, watching the camel snap at his hand for what has to be the tenth time. The swordsman pays him no heed, tapping away at the camel's forehead with a small branch. Since losing sight of Luffy and Usopp, the only thing they could do was find a semi-secluded spot to hunker down and wait for their return.

"Think we can trust them to take care of this?" Sanji asks, before taking a long drag from his cigarette.

"They can handle little errands just fine," Nami assures him, sitting in the shade of the tree beside Vivi. "Just have a little faith in them."

"I dunno," Zoro says. "If you ask me, I think they'll just come back with a bunch of trouble again." The camel snaps at his hand again, and again, missing by a small margin each time. "I'd be doing some stretches if I were you. No telling when we're gonna have to run again." Chopper wanders off, saying he has to use the toilet while they wait for Usopp and Luffy. Of course, as Zoro predicted, a chorus of shouting sounds in the distance, and all heads turn to find the two running from a group of Marines.

"Guys, the Navy is here!" Luffy exclaims, sprinting towards them with a pair of jugs under his arms.

"I see that!" Sanji barks back. "Why are you leading them in this direction?!" Everyone takes off running away from the Marines. Unfortunately, running from the Marines at a dead sprint down crowded streets isn't exactly a good way to stay unnoticed, and Robin immediately begins picking out Billions from the crowds they pass.

"This is bad," Robin tells them. "Baroque Works is onto us."

"We've got no choice then!" Luffy growls. "We'll just have to find Crocodile and settle things."

"There!" Robin points ahead of them at Raindinners. "That's where Crocodile is!"

"Let's split up!" exclaims Zoro. "We'll meet up outside there!" They all split off in different directions, running as fast as they can from the Marines. Run breaks off from the main street, and dashes down an alley as quickly as his legs will carry him.

"Come back here!" exclaims a small group of Marines behind him. "You won't get away from us! Capture him! He's Straw-Hat's First Mate!" Run groans in irritation, as he rounds another corner...and suddenly finds himself jerked down another alley, and quickly hidden away behind a large stack of crates and barrels. Robin is face to face with him, a finger pressed to her lips to indicate silence. It seems like an eternity before the Marines footsteps fade enough for them to both to release a collective sigh.

"That was a close one," Robin whispers.

"Yeah, I owe you," Run retorts, peeking over one of the crates at the empty alley. "First Baroque Works and now the Marines...can things get any worse?"

"Always." He actually chuckles a bit, and nods in agreement.

"Either way, the others are probably waiting for us. We should get going." When he starts to step out, Robin suddenly catches his arm and stops him. "What?"

"Rather than just rushing in and causing a scene, I've got a better idea..."

* * *

"There they go!"

"Don't let 'em escape!" The streets are crawling with Marines are Millions, all of whom have it in for the Straw-hat crew. The clack of geta on stone echos down the long alley as they flee from the Millions. While it would be simple enough to just beat them into submission, they've got no time to deal with the small-fry. Run glances briefly over his shoulder at the group of Millions and growls a bit in irritation.

"Damn they're persistent," Run complains, earning a bit of a chuckle from a breathless Robin.

"Don't worry," Robin tells him. "We'll take a left up here, and-" Several Millions suddenly come spilling into the alley a head of them. "Or not." Rather than be deterred, Run instead rushes forward.

"There they are!"

"Sea King's Bite!" Run exclaims, punching the man in the lead. He bowls through the group of Millions thanks to his momentum, knocking out a trio with a single punch before breaking out and cutting left out of the alley. Only a single man is left standing, stunned by the sudden attack. He quickly comes to his senses, however, when he hears footsteps and turns to face Robin with some confusion on his face.

"Manage- Guggh!" His head his yanked backwards, his chin thrust skyward just in time for Robin to pass, smashing her palm into it as she goes.

"Seis Fleur: Clutch!" declares Robin, a distinct 'crack!' following as his neck snaps. Robin follows after the red head out of the alley, and down the street, weaving through the crowds of people rather easily. He's surprisingly quick on his feet when he has to be but regardless she catches up to him with little effort. When she does she grabs his shoulder, and the two slow down to a walk. "Alright...Raindinners is up ahead. Just follow my lead, alright?" Saying that, the very next moment the two of them find themselves coming to an abrupt halt behind a giant crowd of Millions.

"Haaaah...really?" mutters the red head, watching as they finally seem to take notice of the two.

"I don't suppose you've got any good ideas, do you, Run?"

"I'm thinking."

" **MY NAME IS MR. PRINCE!** " bellows a familiar voice, as the Millions suddenly start being tossed aside. Running amock through the group of Millions appears to be none other than Chopper in his Heavy Point. They Millions don't stand a chance, and by the time he's finished he's completely crushed the whole group with no resistance. "It's...It's whatever I can handle. Whatever I can handle." He's left panting in the middle of the fallen Millions, unaware of their presence...at least until a hand pats him lightly on the back.

"Good job, Chopper," Run exclaims happily.

"Gaahah!" The doctor jumps and yelps as if he's seen a ghost before spinning around to face the two of them. "Wha...What the...?"

"Yes, very well done, doctor," Robin congratulates him, looking around at the fallen Millions. "You saved us quite a bit of trouble."

"R-Robin! Run!" Hearing running footsteps, both look past the reindeer and are surprised to find Sanji rapidly approaching.

"Robin~!" Sanji gushes, appearing at her side. "I was worried something happened to you!" He spares the red head only a single disinterested glance. "I see you're still alive." Run offers him a rather nonchalant shrug of the shoulders in response. "Well, I suppose it's a good thing we've run into each other. With the two of you, things will be even easier."

"Easier...?"

* * *

"Come and get me! You stupid gator! Come on!" Nami exclaims, taunting the gator from inside the cage. Her fear seems to have fallen by the way side but given how desperate the situation is, it's more than understandable. With water gushing in, and no apparent way out.

"What's gotten into you?!" Usopp demands. "Don't antagonize that thing!"

"That's _why_ I'm doing it! I'm trying to get it to bite the cage apart!" They all start yelling at the top of their lungs...well, everyone but Zoro and Smoker, both of whom remain silent. It snaps at the cage the next moment...but only succeeds into breaking all it's teeth.

"What?! It's no use!"

"What a tough cage!" exclaims Luffy, staring at the gator.

"Vivi! Please hurry!"

"Oi, you guys," Smoker begins, attracting their attention to the back of the cage. Rather than standing in the water like the rest of them, the man is sitting cross legged on one of the benches. "How much do you guys know about all of this? What is Crocodile after? Whatever he's up to can't be just a simple coup. It'll most likely be something that involves-"

"I don't care," Luffy tells him plainly. "I don't need any more of a reason to kick his ass than I've already got!" He suddenly looks down in a panic to find that the water has risen up to his thighs. "Aaaah! The water's gotten higher! I'm-I'm...starting to feel a little..." Usopp catches him before he collapses into the water.

"Damn it!" Zoro growls. "If only I could cut steel we'd be able to get outta here!"

"Why is everyone being so damn noisy at dinner time?" asks a voice familiar to them all, only moments before the gator is sent flying toward the ceiling. "Bad Manners Kick Course!" The impact is so great that it sends the water rushing away from the two standing in front of the cage. The gator crashes down loudly behind them, sending the water rushing back. "Hey there. Been waiting long?"

"Yo, Cap'n," Run offers in way of greeting.

" **YEAAH! THANK GOODNESS!** " Luffy and Usopp exclaim in unison. Luffy looks up towards the second floor of the room, where he finds not only Vivi but Robin standing at the edge of a broken set of stairs.

"Good job, Vivi!" Vivi flashes a thumbs up in return, everyone's attention is suddenly pulled to the center of the room where more of the gators begin gathering. "Aaaah! Sanji! Run! Hurry up! You need to beat them! One second strikes- no, instant strikes!"

"Looks like we're sandwiched," mutters Run, turning to face the gators slowly.

"Here they come, one after another," Sanji complains. "Come after us as much as you like. I'll beat some manners into every last one of you, if that's what it takes."

"Target the third one who's entered," Smoker tells them. "It's got the key in it's stomach." Sanji and Run make a move towards the gator in question, only to be stopped before they've even gotten close by none other than Robin herself.

"There's no need for that," Robin tells them. "You." She points a single finger at the gator. "Spit it up." All of them are unsure what exactly Robin is thinking to so calmly issue commands to such dangerous creatures...but are surprised when the reptile actually huffs a few times and finally spits up right in front of them. Instead of a key, however, a huge ball of some white substance lands right in front of them. "Just what in the world have you been eating?"

"Did it...really just spit up...on command?" Nami asks, staring at the white ball.

"Wax-Wax Ball...Release!" exclaims a muffled, if familiar voice, as the ball cracks like an egg to reveal an extremely dehydrated Mr. 3. The man seems to be completely oblivious to their presence, and instead dives face first into the water, drinking as much as he can as quickly as he can. "That damn Crocodile...he certainly tried hard to kill me but not hard enough!" His monologue is interrupted by him noticing a small key on a pile of rubble, which he promptly picks up. "What's this?"

"Give that here!" exclaims everyone from the cage. "Give us the key!"

"Oi, give it here," Run demands, surprising Mr. 3.

"Aaaah! You startled me!" Mr. 3 screams.

"I said, give me that key." The red head extends a hand out towards him. "Now." Naturally, rather than handing over the key, the man turns and actually throws it back towards the gators. "Ah! Are you kidding me?! You son of a...!"

"If you want it then you're just gonna have to go find it. Although, either way, I won't be responsible if you-"

"That wasn't the real key," Robin tells them all, interrupting the man.

"Wasn't the real key?" Usopp echos. "But we all saw Crocodile throw the key into the pit with the gators." Robin stares silently at the crew's sniper for a moment before the man blinks in surprise. "Aaaah! He lied to us, didn't he! How dishonest can you get?!"

"If that isn't the real key then how are we going to get out?!" Nami asks frantically.

"Simple." Robin crosses her arms in front of her. "Dos Fleur." A pair of arms sprout from Mr. 3's back, fingers quickly threading together under his chin and yanking his head back sharply. "Now, Mr. 3...how about making a key for the door?"

"You...You can't...be serious!" grunts Mr. 3, straining against the arms pulling his head and neck back. A little extra strength in the arms, however, has him singing a different tune. After loosening her grip a bit, she allows him to walk to the cage, and using his Wax-Wax Fruit, open the door to the cage.

"Was that so difficult?"

"N-No." He sheepishly looks up at the woman, who still has her arms crossed. "M-May I-"

"Clutch!" A distinct 'snap!' sounds as his head his yanked back, and he collapses into the water. "Let's get going. There's not much time left now."

"They're probably already heading to Alubarna," Nami says.

"But what about the...eh?" Vivi looks on in awe at the belly up gators several meters away from them, every last one of them beaten with ease by Luffy, Zoro and Run.

"Aaaaah! Aren't there any more?! That wasn't _nearly_ enough!" Luffy bellows from their position on one of the gators stomachs.

"Haaaah...it _was_ kinda unsatisfying," Run agrees, scrubbing a palm through his red hair. "What a let down."

"Damn it! I can't go all out soaked in water like this!" The next second, a deep rumble fills the room, and the walls begin to crumble. "Waaaaah! The walls are falling in! What are we gonna do?!" The windows shatter, and the walls break down as water comes flooding in. Even fighting against the swirling current, Run manages to grab hold of an otherwise helpless Robin. He'd have grabbed Luffy, too, if he hadn't seen Sanji swimming like mad for the surface, hauling their Captain the back of his shirt. Even so, Run and Robin are the first to break the surface of the water.

Gasps for air escape the two, as the red head hauls them out of the lake and into the street. The sun is slowly beginning to set...had they really been down there that long? "I had no idea you were such a good swimmer," Robin says, strength slowly returning to her as she coughs up a bit of water.

"It's one of my favorite things, actually," the red head tells her, looking towards the water as the crew begins to surface. Sanji tosses Luffy up onto the street like a freshly caught fish before hauling himself up out of the lake as well. "Oi, you still alive, Luffy?" Run stands and approaches his old friend. He crouches down beside him and lightly slaps him on the cheek with the back of his palm. "C'mon. Up an' at 'em, Luffy."

"Jeez, you guys sure bear some heavy burdens because of your abilities, huh," Sanji says, standing as well. Vivi, Nami and Usopp surface, with the girls dragging the apparently unconscious sniper out of the water with some difficulty. The final one to surface, and bringing with him a surface, is Zoro. The swordsman breaks the surface, sputtering and coughing as he drags Smoker out of the lake with him. "Oi, oi, what the hell are you doing, bringing the enemy with you?"

"Oh, shut it, cook!" Zoro retorts quickly. "I never intended to bring him. He was close to dying, ya know."

"Who cares?" Run asks. "We need to get going." Smoker, who has been hacking up a lung for a few moments, finally seems to get his strength back enough to attack Zoro.

"Roronoa!" exclaims Smoker, jabbing at him with his jitte although Zoro blocks it rather easily. "Why did you save my life?"

"I was just following my Captain's orders," Zoro tells him, knocking aside his jitte. "It was simply one of his whims. I don't need any kind of thanks...in fact, don't pay it any mind."

"Hmph...then you'd have no problem with me carrying out my duties here." Very suddenly, Luffy and Usopp both seem to finally come around. The two are quickly on their feet, shouting about moving on to Alubarna and even finding Crocodile. "...Go. This is the only time that I'm gonna let you off the hook. So go. Before I change my mind. The next time we meet, you're dead." The crew takes off, bound for Alubarna and following Vivi's directions while Smoker simply watches on, his Marines chasing after them. "Hmph. That woman...I wonder just what they're up to that she's running with them..."

* * *

They're running once again, as fast as their legs will carry them down the streets from the Marines. "I don't suppose anyone has some kinda plan," Run says, running with the group. "What I mean is, we're not planning on running all the way to Alubarna, are we?"

"Lashes!" exclaims a breathless Nami. "Where is Lashes?"

"Maybe this town has a stable or something?" Luffy offers. "We can steal some horses."

"Not to worry, everyone! Look up ahead!" Sanji says. In the distance, moving towards them at an increadible rate of speed is a...giant crab? And riding on it's back are none other than Chopper and the camel, Lashes.

"Oi! Everyone!" exclaims Chopper, waving to them as he steers the crab towards them. Vivi explains that it's a Moving Crab, and that they spend nearly their entire lives under the sands, so seeing one is incredibly rare. So much so that they're known as Phantom Crabs. "Lashes grew up around here so he has a lot of friends like this guy! Hurry! Get on, everyone!" Luffy is beside himself with amazement while they quickly board the crab. When everyone is on board, they take off.

"This is much better than walking," Run mumbles, falling back onto the shell and gazing up at the sky. "We should be there in no time at this rate."

"Riding a crab," Robin says, sitting beside him. "I never would have imagined that." A scream suddenly cuts through the silence, and Run jolts up in time to see Vivi flying off the crab's back. "That hook...!"

"Chopper, stop!" bellows Zoro, and the crab comes to a sliding halt moments later.

"Vivi!" exclaims Luffy. "It's him! It's Crocodile!" He stretches out to grip to the hook and slingshot himself to Vivi. Without skipping a beat he tosses her straight back to the group where she's barely caught by Zoro before striking the hard shell of the crab. "You guys go on ahead! I'll take care of things here! Make sure you deliver Vivi back to her home! Make sure, now!"

"...Oi, Chopper!" Run exclaims. "Get going! We're going to Alubarna!" Chopper nods firmly and snaps the reins tethered to the crab, sending them on their way again.

"What?! Are you really alright with this, Run?!" Usopp asks. "Leaving him behind like this...isn't that cold-hearted?"

"Do you really _think_ I'm alright with it, Usopp?" Run turns to look at the sniper. "Every bone in my body is telling me to stand and fight...but we haven't got time for that right now. We've gotta get Vivi to Alubarna, so that's what we're going to do." They watch their Captain fading into the distance quickly, unable to do anything else. "Don't die, Luffy. Don't die..."


	20. Fateful Encounter! Luffy's Demise?

Hello~! Sorry, I was gone for so long! I was dealing with this, that and the other and before I knew it I hadn't updated in months! I just want to make it clear that I have absolutely no intention of abandoning this story! I'll continue to write and update as much as I can! So, without further delay, here's the next chapter! Be sure to press that favorite button, or leave a review, or both to let me know you enjoy it! It really helps!

* * *

The push onward leaving the city, and Crocodile far behind them as they make for Alubarna. While everyone else seems to be trying to relax, Run stands at the back of the crabs shell, slowly pacing back and forth as he stares in the direction they've come from. Behind him, Zoro sits cross-legged with Lashes somehow balanced upon his sword; he uses the animal as a sort of makeshift dumb-bell, which doesn't seem to bother it, oddly enough. Nami, having watched the two of them do this since leaving Rainbase, finally breaks down and asks, "Could you two please give it a rest? You're just wasting energy, you know."

"Shut up," Zoro grunts back, continuing with his lifting.

"Just leave them alone," Sanji tells her, glancing over at the two of them. "If they're not doing something then they can't focus. They're not that adept. Especially that idiot swordsman...now that he's had a taste of the power that Shichibukai wield."

"Oi, if you've got something to say, then just spit it out!" Zoro growls.

"Aah, so you want me to say it, huh? It's pretty simple...you're scared. You're worried that Luffy is going to lose."

"Scared?! Me?! You don't know what you're even talking about you...fancy eyebrows!"

"Wha?! Ya damn...moss head! You wanna fight?!" Before either one of them can even began to argue or fight, Nami promptly silences the two of them by punching both of them in their heads.

"E-Everyone, let's just all calm down," Vivi says quickly. "There's no way that Luffy would lose. We all promised, right? We all promised that we'd be waiting for him in Alubarna." Nami steps towards the princess and knocks her on the head slightly. "Ow."

"You don't need to worry about anything but stopping the rebellion. And you-" Nami turns to look at the red head, who finally stops his pacing. "-Aren't you the First Mate? Even if you're worried, isn't it your job to make sure that everything goes smoothly, and everyone is focused while the Captain is away?" Run is still for several moments before suddenly turning on his heel and walking back towards them.

"I'm not worried about Luffy," Run says simply, earning a few unconvinced stares from the others. "Let's just focus on getting to Alubarna."

"Alright, then! Let's turn our minds solely to Alubarna! Onward, Pincers!" The crab seems to double in speed, barreling across the desert towards the horizon. They're covering ground so fast that by the time the sun has set, it seems that they're not that far from the Sandora River. The closer they get, however, the more the red head begins to question their mounts ability.

"Oi, Vivi," calls Run, earning her attention. "This crab will be able to get us across the river, right?"

"E-Eehe, about that," Vivi begins nervously. "Moving Crabs are creatures of the desert so...they can't exactly swim."

" _What_?!" demands Usopp, having over-heard the conversation. "We can't cross the river with this crab?!"

"As I said, Moving Crabs are creatures of the desert. They never take to water."

"It's a _crab_! It should at least be able to swim even a little bit! Here, look!" He produces a map and lays it flat in the middle of the group. "Even if we could manage to swim across such a wide river there's no way that we'd make it in time! We've still got miles of desert to cross! If this crab can't make it to the other shore, then are we just supposed to run the distance?"

"If Pincers can't cross then we haven't got much of a choice," Nami says.

"There's no way that we'll make it in time!" Ahead of them, rapidly approaching is none other than the river in question.

"Uh-oh," Sanji grunts. "Oi, it's the river! The Sandora is dead ahead!".

"I know!" Chopper shouts quickly. "Pincers says he loves dancing girls!" Without another thought, Nami suddenly sheds the garment she's wearing, revealing the dancer girl outfit under it. Sanji, and Lashes immediately begin to drool over her...and the second Pincers notices it he seems to double their speed. "We're accelerating! Alright! Pervy power, go!"

"Great, now we've got two screwed up animals," Zoro complains, crouching low on the shell.

"Haaah...if it works, I'll take it," Run retorts, crossing his arms across his chest. They hit the water running, and continue skimming across it much to the amazment of everyone gathered on top. "Oi, oi, this crab is pretty incredible."

"Yeah, it's a miracle!" cheers Usopp. "Keep going! Don't slow down! Just stay on the water and run!" The further they get away from the shore, however, the slower they seem to be going...and the further they seem to sink into the water. "O-Oi, what's going on? Is it me or are we sinking?! We _are_ sinking!" They finally lose all momentum and sink into the river completely. Several moments later they break the surface of the river. "Aaaah! We were almost there!"

"No use complaining now." Robin clings tightly to his back, arms circling his neck as he swims towards the opposite bank.

"Let's just get to dry land," Zoro tells them, riding Chopper on his shoulders safely out of the water. Of course, things always seem to go from bad to worse for the crew. Rising like a mountain from beneith the waves, comes absolutely the largest catfish that any of them have ever seen.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Usopp demands, staring up at the fish.

"It's a Sandoran Catfish!" Vivi explains. "They're very rarely seen! Also...!" The catfish opens it's giant mouth, and begins sucking in gallons of water...and them along with it! "Their favorite food is Humans!"

"Maybe lead with that next time!" Before they can be swallowed whole, however, they're saved by the arrival of the Kung-Fu Dugongs! The small creatures make short work of the catfish, promptly beating it into submission before it can even get close to them. The dugong's pull them up onto the catfish's body, and begin towing them to shore.

"They say, 'We won't neglect our senior pupils'," Chopper translates.

"Well...it's not like we're actually Luffy's students."

"Leave it," Run says, sitting next to Robin who seems to be more or less alright after her dip in the river. "Or would you prefer to swim?" They make it to the opposite bank in less than an hour, and say their goodbyes to the Dugongs who return to the river.

"Aside from a few things, everything seems to be going smoothly," Zoro says. "Do you think we can make it?"

"That's...a tough call," Vivi admits. "Even riding on Lashes I don't believe we could make it in time." From behind the group, a large cloud of rapidly approaching dust appears on the horizon. The closer it gets the more things clear up, until finally they recognize what's causing it. "Carue! You came to get us?" The duck squaks in the affirmative, and they mount up before rushing off in the hurry...

* * *

The rushing of the wind and the sound of the ducks foot falls nearly in unison...it's nearly enough to lull one into a relaxed state. Nearly. But with their mission held firmly in mind, and the consequences of failing to succeed, all of them find it hard to relax even in the slightest. True to Vivi's words, these ducks are in fact the fastest that any of them have ever seen. Faster even then horses, strange as it seems. But that wouldn't be enough to tip the odds in their favor. After all, they're riding head first into conflict with Baroque Work's agents.

That's when Nami came up with the brillant idea for each of them to don an identical white cloak to hide their identity. They've been riding all through the night, and the ducks show no sign of fatigue or slowing down in the slightest even as the sun begins to peek over the horizon. "Alubarna! I can see it!" Vivi calls, breaking the silence that's fallen over the group.

"Everyone remember what to do?" Run asks over the rushing wind. Everyone responds quickly in the affirmative. It's not all that complicated of a plan, and the odds of the enemy not taking the bait is fairly low...but it's still better to err on the side of caution. "Alright...let's go!" Zoro, Run and Nami suddenly break off from the group, dashing towards one of the five gates in Alubarna. He isn't exactly thrilled about leaving Vivi and Robin behind on their own but it's Vivi's plan, and she had surprised them all by actually picking Robin to stay with her.

Whether this was good or bad, the red head wasn't sure but it was her choice. Out of the corner of his eye, Run can see that at least two of the gathered Baroque Work's agents have taken the bait, pursuing them up the stairs and into the city without a second thought. It makes sense. They're the only group with three people in it, after all. Naturally, they'd believe that the group with the most people would have Vivi in it.

"Looks like they took the bait!" Nami exclaims quickly. "Wait...why am I happy about this?!" They lead the two chasing further into the city, away from the gate and down several city streets before eventually coming to a screeching halt.

"This looks like a good spot, Red," Zoro says in a low voice, as they turn to face their pursers. Standing several meters away are a tall, muscular dark skinned man with a shaven head and a woman wearing a very strange strapy get up.

"Looks like we've caught up," the woman says, staring at them. "So, am I correct in assuming one of you might be the princess?" The three of them dismount from the ducks calmly, not saying a word the the two of them while she flicks her gaze between the trio.

"Haaah...one of us Vivi?" Run asks, earning her attention as he reaches up towards the hood of his cloak. "Nope...'fraid not." They all three sweep back their hoods in unison.

"Huh, so you actually tricked us."

"Go~! Zoro, Run~! Take 'em down~!" Nami cheers, earning the attention of the swordsman and the red head. They immediately notice just how far she's fallen back from them without their noticing. "It's your one virtue, right? Go ahead!"

"Would you just shut up and go hide somewhere," Zoro tells her, before turning back to their opponents. Regardless, Nami doesn't cease her cheering at all, in fact she continues urging them to finish the agents quickly. "I hope you'll make this fun for us."

"I'll take the big guy, Zoro," Run says, cracking his knuckles loudly as he stares at the man.

"Wha-? Who said you get first pick?!" Without warning, the agents begin walking towards them calmly. A distinct 'click!' sounds as Zoro thumbs the tsuba of one of his katana, exposing an inch of glittering silver blade to everyone. Both tense slightly in preparation for an attack...which never comes as the two simply stroll past them.

"Let's go! Hurry up and finish those...ugly...two..." Nami mutters, watching them approach her.

"Oi...mind telling me what in the hell you think you're doing?"

"First rule of assassination: eliminate the weaker target first," the man says.

"You two just wait there, we'll show you how a pro does things," the woman tells them. Nami begins sweating immediately, watching them close in on her slowly. She holds her hands up to them quickly, to make herself appear as little a threat to them as possible.

"W-Wait a second," Nami says quickly. "There's no need to get rid of me. My style may be outstanding but that's all. I've got no skills. I'm no fighter."

"We know. Taking out the weakest link first is the quickest way to go about things." Nami actually smiles at them and nods in acknowledgement.

"A-Aah, now that you mention it, I would do the same thing." Then, without another word, she turns and takes off at a sprint away from the two of them. Zoro and Run simply shake their heads in response, watching Nami disappear into the distance.

"Haaah...she should have just stayed quiet," Run mutters, reaching up to scratch the stubble on his jaw. Without another word the two take off, following after them quickly. Unfortunately, they quickly lose sight of them as a result of Nami's blind running, and the twisting streets of the city. After several minutes of running around blindly, the two of them come to a stop at an intersection.

"Damn that idiot!" complains Zoro. "This is why I told her just to shut up and find somewhere to hide! She just keeps getting in the way, and slowing us down!"

"Complaining isn't gonna get us anywhere," Run tells him. "We've gotta find her before they manage to catch up. Come on." Picking a road at random, the red head sprints down it without a second thought. The swordsman follows behind him, both of them hoping that he's made the right decision. Fortunately, it appears that luck is on their side for a change. "There! I see 'em!" Ahead of them, they watch as the man suddenly leaps skyward, covering the distance between Nami and himself in the blink of an eye. "Damn! Zoro!"

"Yeah!" None of them sense the arrival of the swordsman or the red head as they cover the distance to Nami.

"Down!" Run screams, grabbing Nami's shoulder and forcing her down to the ground with ease. A loud 'crash!' sounds seconds later as Zoro's blade meets the man's hand.

"Tch!" hisses the man, as a flick of Zoro's wrist causes him to recoil from the trio.

"Zoro! Run!" Nami exclaims, staring up at the two of them. Relief floods her face only seconds before surprise, when the pillar behind them is split into nothing more than chunks of rubble. "Th...The pillar, it split up into pieces!" Both Zoro and Run narrow their eyes in response. It was fairly obvious to the two of them what happened. It wasn't a punch...it had to be...

"Split? No, it was cut by a blade," Zoro says calmly.

"You cut it, didn't you," Run asserts, staring pointedly at the man. Zoro doesn't wait for his response, instead slashing at the man half-heartedly with his drawn sword...which the man blocks with his forearm, which has gained a rather sharp edge to it. "That's quite the unusual ability you've got."

"Indeed it is," the man agrees, transforming both arms. "I ate the Dice-Dice Fruit, and now I can turn any part of my body into a blade." He flicks his calm gaze between the two of them very slowly, taking in their appearance, apparently. "You're them, correct? The two that took down all the bounty-hunters at Whiskey Peak. You-" Without waiting for the man to finish, Zoro rushes forward quickly, blades clashing against the man's own bladed arms loudly.

"Sorry, but we haven't exactly got time to waste here," Zoro tells him.

"Wha-?! Oi, what the hell, Zoro?!" Run demands, staring at the two. "I said the big guy was _mine_!"

"Hah, too slow, Red."

"You-"

"Miss Doublefinger," the man says firmly, interrupting the red head.

"Aah, I assume you want to take this man on yourself," Doublefinger says, staring at him. "Well, then, I'll take care of these...hm?" She stares past her partner and the swordsman and nothing but empty space. No red head, and no woman in sight. "They ran away? My, my...at least things won't be boring..."

Her lungs are burning, and her legs feel like lead...she can't help it! She isn't exactly as monstrous as the other members of her crew! Nami leans heavily against the side of the building, the sounds of swords clashing and gun shots filling her ears. It's clear to them that Vivi's plan hadn't been successful. If that's the case, then what should they do? Should they try to find her? What exactly is the plan now? "Haaah...any reason we ran away?" Run finally asks, earning her attention. Aside from a bit of sweat, he doesn't seem to be any worse for wear after their mad dash. She made a mental note to add monstrous stamina to his already monstrous strength.

"Didn't you hear, she's coming after us!" Nami tells him.

"And?"

"And?! You know, some of us don't exactly have such freakish strength to rely on!" Run heaves a bit of a sigh in response.

"Then you should have just left it to me." Nami immediately responds with a firm shake of her head. "No?"

"No! I...I can't just rely on everyone else all the time. I need to be able to fight-" Across from them, a number of boards suddenly shift, falling from their place and startling the Navigator who presses herself against the wall quickly. "...Why am I getting scared by something like that? I prepared for this." She suddenly produces a strange weapon, holding it out in front of herself. "I went through all the trouble of asking Usopp to do this for me! Because I want to fight for Vivi, too! Because-" Before she can finish, a spike pierces the wall...and the red head's shoulder, immediately drawing a surprised and pained grunt from him. "- _Run_!"

" _Move_!" bellows Run, lunging forward, and actually tackling the Navigator to the ground seconds before a barrage of the same spikes pierce the area they'd been occupying. His face is inches from her own, his expression one of pain and anger in equal parts. His grey eyes, normally calm and easy, hardened and sharp as the edge of any blade as he effortlessly wheeled around to face their attacker in a crouch. The wall they'd occupied suddenly collapsed and to her surprise, Doublefinger strolled out immediately after, swaying her hips this way and that.

"It's no use running, you know," Doublefinger tells them.

"Neat trick." Nami quickly leaned up, getting to her feet as the red head slowly stood. "Nami, you go find Vivi and find out what's going on. I'll take care of things here." But rather than hearing retreating foot-steps as he had expected, he suddenly finds Nami standing in front of him. "Nami?"

"You go, Run," Nami tells him. "Go help Vivi."

"You serious?"

"Yes! I begged Usopp to make this weapon for me so I would be able to fight with my own strength. I didn't want to rely on everyone else all the time." The feeling of wanting to stand on your own two feet, of wanting to struggle, and fight using only your own strength...Run can understand this. After several long moments of silence Nami feels someone's hand on her shoulder and a heavy sigh reaches her ears.

"Haaah...alright, I'll leave this to you, then. Try not to die, huh?" Saying that, he turns on his heel and runs in the opposite direction. He has to find Vivi, and figure out just what went wrong, and what it is she's planning to do now. He isn't sure where he is gonna find her...but in the center of the city, clear for all to see is what appears to his eyes as some sort of palace. If that's the case, then more than likely that's where he might find her...or her father. Either way, it's his best shot.

Navigating the streets with that thought in mind, Run does his best to make his way towards the city center. It's a twist maze of back streets, and alleys as he forced to avoid the battle choking the main streets. The last thing he wants to do is get swept in the fighting taking place between the loyal soldiers and the rebels when he has far more important things to do. Fortunately, luck still seems to be on his side, as he comes spilling out of a back alley right where he needs to be. Across from him is a set of large stairs leading straight up to the palace, and he wastes no time in crossing and taking the stairs two sometimes three at a time.

There's no guarantee that Vivi will actually be here but it's a better chance than any...

* * *

How had things gone so bad so fast? The plan was supposed to be simple! Head off the rebel army and talk some sense into them! Explain that all of this, _all of this_ , was Crocodile's doing not her father's! And now...now things had gone as bad as they could! Standing across from them is none other then the man responsible for all, and nailed firmly to the wall, her father, his hostage! How had they managed to capture him? Were there truly traitors in the ranks of the royal guard? A plume of smoke is exhaled from Crocodile as the man focuses his attention on them, paying little mind to Cobra.

"I'll admit, you had me completely fooled, Robin," Crocodile says, focusing on the woman in question who appears not the slightest bit phased by his intense glare. "I never placed much trust in you to begin with...but to be so effortlessly manipulated...you should know how I handle betrayal." Robin offers only a fearless smile in return. "Still...as a tool, you have some use to me, yet. I'll need your services after YOU, Cobra, tell me where to find Pluton."

"Pluton?" Vivi echos softly. "What is he talking about? What's Pluton?"

"It's an ancient weapon," Robin tells her. "The legend says that a single shot from this weapon is enough to sink an entire island into the sea."

"It should be sleeping somewhere in this country," Crocodile adds. "Ready to be awakened at any moment. That's been my goal this entire time! With that weapon at my disposal, I'll be able to awaken a military state in this country that has no equal and no weakness! I'll have more power and more influence then the World Government! It'll be a paradise-like country!"

"Do you really believe the World Government would allow this?!" Cobra screams, attracting his attention finally.

"Of course not. That's why I need Pluton."

"I don't know where you got the idea of such a thing existing here, but I can tell you for sure that it doesn't! It's just a myth, nothing more!" Crocodile exhales another plume of smoke from his cigar, a devious smile actually appearing on his face.

"I can assure you that it's no myth. The survival of such a weapon after such a long time is obviously in question. But even so...it doesn't matter to me in the slightest. I have both the means, and the knowledge to revive such a devastating weapon..." He slowly turns back to Robin. "...isn't that right, Robin?"

"My, you're still holding onto that? Wasn't it you who said, it was nothing but a business arrangement?" She slowly crosses her arms, still offering that fearless smile. "I happen to have found what I was looking for, so I have no further need to continue our partnership. You can consider it dissolved, Crocodile."

"Oi!" calls a familiar voice, all heads turning to the person in question. Breathing slightly heavy, and blood staining the shoulder of his white cloak, Run stands several meters away from them.

"Run!" exclaims Vivi, relief washing over her like a flood...and then replaced with a sinking feeling of despair. How to break the news to him? How will he react? What will he say? He was only involved with this because it was his Captain's orders, after all. But now...without Luffy...will he still come to their aide? A confident smirk appears on his face as he approaches them...which doesn't fade in the slightest even when he notices Vivi's grief filled stare. Her throat feels tight, eyes stinging...there's no way she's gonna be able to hold it back...she's gonna start crying. She looks down immediately to avoid the red head's grey eyes, to hide herself from him. A heavy sigh is drug out of him in response.

"What, you're not still mad about yesterday, are you, Vivi?"

"I...it's...Luffy," Vivi manages around a lump in her throat.

"Luffy? What about him?" He glances around for a moment, eyes settling for a moment on Robin. She shies away from his gaze, and his brow creases in confusion. Why did she look away? What happened that he didn't know about? Run turns his attention back to Vivi, the situation being to rapidly dawn on him and he reaches out and grasps her shoulder. "Where's Luffy?"

"Oh, might you be a member of that worthless man's crew?" Crocodile suddenly asks. Laughter follows moments later, Crocodile apparently delighting in a joke that only he's privy to. "If that's the case, when I'm afraid you won't be seeing him again. I buried that fool before I came here." The red head stiffens immediately, his hand tightening on her shoulder nearly to the point of pain. She recoils from his grip and his outstretched hand immediately balls into a fist.

"Run," whispers Vivi, ignoring the throbbing in her shoulder as she stares at the man. He slowly lowers his hand, head turning down to stare at the group between his feet. "Run, I am so-"

"You killed him?" Run asks, his voice gravelly, and strained, as if holding something back.

"That fool should have known his limits," Crocodile says calmly. "It's the difference in the type of pirate-"

"Shut your mouth," Run tells him firmly, head turning to face him now. A very real chill crawls it's way down Crocodiles spine as he meets the red head's fierce gaze. "You really think I'm gonna let myself be lectured by a pirate so weak he has to kiss the World Governments ass just to survive?" There's a sudden crisp 'snap!' and Vivi glances down, finding a myriad of thin cracks have spiraled out from the red head's feet.

"Wh...What is...?"

"Hnn, this feeling. So you can use Haoshoku Haki, red hair," Crocodile says, exhaling a heavy cloud of smoke. "Even so, I wonder if the son of Red Haired Shanks is just as worthless as his Captain."

"You're surprisingly well informed for a weakling," retorts the red head, slowly cracking his neck. A soft 'click!' sounds as Crocodile's teeth snap together, biting his cigar clean in half. Run briefly glances at Chaka, and then down towards his hip. The man shudders in response, his eyes feeling as though they're piercing through his entire being. "I'm borrowing this." Without waiting for him to respond, Run grabs hold of his sword's grip and draws the blade from it's sheathe. He slowly begins walking towards Crocodile, gripping the weapon tightly in his left hand.

"I'm gonna kill you!" Rather than be intimidated, he simply raises the blade up to rest on his left shoulder.

"What a coincidence..." Everyone watches in utter amazement as the surface of the blade begins to change, starting at the base and following towards the point. It's as if he's dipped the weapon in a pool of the darkest shadows, not a bit of light escaping from the inky surface. "...I was gonna say the same thing to you...Crocodile..."


	21. Kill or Be Killed! Run vs Crocodile!

"Hope you're ready, Crocodile," Run mutters, the now black blade shifting slightly on his shoulder blade. "Here I come." The Shichibukai doesn't get a chance to retort before the red head closes the distance, sword cutting an inky swathe through the air towards his neck, intending to cut him in half from shoulder to hip. The first blow exchanged resounds like a crash of thunder, causing Vivi to clamp her hands over her ears immediately. Crocodile's eyes narrow in pain, the power of the blow flowing through his hook up his arm, numbing it immediately.

This won't be at all like fighting Run's Captain, the first blow has made that very apparent. A twitch of his arm, and a flick of his wrist sends Crocodile recoiling, giving ground to an opponent for the first time in quite some time. No, this won't be anything like fighting before...this opponent isn't worthless. Showers of sparks dance before their eyes, as Run weaves forward, blade once more going for the killing blow. It's a flurry of motion, a withering number of strikes that put him solely on the defensive.

He can't fight like this, he can't get swept up into this red heads pace. Fighting him blow for blow will only put him at a disadvantage, that much is clear. No, he has to drag it out. Has to wear him out, exhaust his Haki so he won't be able to fight back. He's drawing on to different forms of Haki, it shouldn't take long. He just has to create an opening and put him off balance. Crocodile lunges back from the red head, his right hand shifting, and changing as he kneels quickly.

"Desert-" begins Crocodile, only to suddenly find himself nearly face to face with the red head, dark blade poised to deal a killing blow. His hook whips up, the sound of metal sheering and sliding against each other, and a resulting shower of brilliant sparks filling his senses completely. The blade passes by his head, diverted just barely from it's intended target...although, not completely. A thin line of blood races down the inky surface of his sword towards the guard. "You damn-"

"Sea King's Bite!" mutters Run.

Crocodile's head snaps right, vision flickering around the edges for a brief moment before he collects himself. A spray of blood, saliva, and a single molar, erupt past his lips. It is, without a doubt, the hardest he's been hit in quite some time, and certainly the hardest he's been hit by someone here in Paradise. Confusion flashes briefly across the red head's face before returning once more to it's frozen fury. Run is, of course, surprised that Crocodile not only took his Haki punch but other than a split lip, and flying tooth, didn't seem the least bit phased by it.

Everyone watching on the side lines save for Robin stares in wide-eyed wonder. Fighting toe-to-toe with Crocodile? Is he really strong enough to do it? No, the better question is _how_ is he able to hit the man? Just what exactly is he doing?

"He's using Haki," Robin tells them, having apparently read their minds. All eyes turn to the woman, who appears not the least bit phased by the fight happening right in front of her.

"Haki?" Vivi echos. "What's that?" Robin is by no means an expect on the subject. In fact, he only knows what she managed to glean from watching Shanks training Run as a boy. Even so she does her best to explain it to them. She tells them that Haki is a force that resides in every living thing in the entire world, and that it's not all that different from your normal five senses. However, more people will live their whole life without ever noticing or awakening it. She tells them that there are three types of Haki, and two available to everyone. "Three types?"

"Yes. Kenbunshoku, Busoshoku, and Haoshoku Haki. He's currently using Busoshoku to fight Crocodile."

"Busoshoku Haki...how does it work? Tell me!"

"I don't know. What I've told you is all I know about it. Even I can't use it."

"Then who taught him?" Chaka asks, looking at her for several moments before he finally reflects on the Shichibukai's words. "Wait...didn't Crocodile say that man was the son of Red Haired Shanks?" Robin nods in the affirmative, and then suddenly raises her arms in front of her, forming an 'X'. Vivi and Chaka suddenly find themselves pulled straight back to the ground seconds before a blade goes sailing through the space above them. From their position on the ground they can see Run spinning, stumbling back from Crocodile.

"Is that the best you've got?" demands Crocodile, watching as the red head nearly loses his footing, weapon stripped and chest laid open by a cruel twist of his hook. "For all your talk you're just as worthless as your Captain!" The Shichibukai steps forward, raising and bringing his hook down towards the stunned red head, who, rather than dodge comes to a sliding stop, and then lunges forward instead, a fierce scowl on his face. A loud 'smack!' sounds as Run catches his arm below the hook, stopping the gleaming point of his cruel hook inches from his head. An arm snakes around Crocodiles own, pressing it against the red head's ribs and locking out his elbow.

His left hand raises quickly, arm suddenly wreathed in the same black at his former blade.

"Sea King's Barrage!" snarls Run, black wreathed fist slamming hard into Crocodiles ribs. A very sharp, and distinct 'crack!' immediately follows the first blow. Crocodile's knees actually buckle, robbed of his strength and breath by the first blow. However, the red head has no intention of letting up. Another fist smashes into his ribs, followed by a second, a third, and a forth before a knee smashes into his forehead, snapping his head back. Run releases his abruptly, leg sliding back quickly. "Sea King's Lash!" His kick smashes into the back of his skull, sending him tumbling across the ground before smashing through the walls of Cobra's palace.

A shower of dust and rubble pours forth from the now gaping hole, obscuring the Shichibuki within. Run takes the opportunity to quickly shed his now bloody, ruined clock, tearing the fabric off with ease and tossing it aside as he stares silently at the newly created entrance. "Did...Did he beat him?" Vivi asks softly, staring at the red head standing stock still. "Is it-"

"Come out and fight, Crocodile," Run demands, and with no response forth-coming, a smirk suddenly appears on his face. "Or are you afraid now?"

His words provoke an immediate reaction. Sand rolls out of the hole like waves across a beach. It shifts and twists, moving like a swarm of angry hornets seconds. It's almost enough to mesmerize those watching, if it weren't for the fact that a coarse, and clearly angry voice, follows the sand.

"You damn red hair!" bellows Crocodile. "I'm gonna kill you!" Gleaming like the talons of a desert hawk, and ten times deadlier, Crocodile's hook barrels out of the sand towards the neck of the red head, trailed by the rolling sand which rapidly forms into the Shichibukai's body. The red head blinks in surprise, he certainly hadn't expected him to move this fast! Even moving as fast as it is, Robin doesn't miss the change in the hook's appearance. No longer gold, but pitted, and black, instead.

" **RUN, GET AWAY FROM IT!** " Robin screams at him, actually surprising the red head enough to dodge to his immediate right. It was the first time that he'd ever heard her raise her voice. The cruel hook passes inches from his vulnerable neck. The Shichibuki appears in front of him seconds later, hook raised to deal another blow. Run's fist smashes into his already broken ribs hard enough to arch Crocodile in the opposite direction before slamming a second into his jaw. It's a hard enough blow to send the Shichibuki stumbling several feet away from the red head.

He surges forward, closing the distance between himself and Crocodile as quickly as possible.

"Sea King's Rush!" bellows Run, slamming elbow and shoulder into the Shichibuki's chest. He's thrown back, smashing into the railing at the edge of the platform in front of the palace, and demolishing it in turn. Crocodile immediately sits up, ignoring his aching ribs. A string of half formed curses tumble out of his mouth, moments before he spots the red head in front of him through the cloud of dust. "Sea King's Bite!" His fist connects with his jaw, smashing him straight back into the pavement, and actually demolishing it entirely. "Oh, sh...!"

In a storm of dust, and demolished concrete the two go spilling off the edge of the platform to the city square below. The destruction spreads out towards their former spectators, the ground beneath Vivi and Chaka's feet giving way. Their drop is short lived, and comes to a sudden stop when a tight grip closes around their wrists, suspending them in air at the edge of the drop. Both look up, finding themselves held tightly by two pairs of disembodied arms, and the woman they belong to.

They're yanked up over the edge moments later, and Vivi offers a muted thanks in response to Robin. "He destroyed nearly the entire platform," Chaka says in amazement, staring down for a moment before realizing what this means. "Your Highness!" He whips around, and runs back towards Cobra.

"Has he been this strong the whole time?" Vivi wonders aloud. If this is how the son of the great 'Red Haired' Shanks fights, if he can fight so evenly with someone like Crocodile...then just how powerful _is_ his father? What would fighting the man himself be like?

"Yes," Robin tells her, staring down at the pile of rubble in the city square. A realization suddenly dawns on her. "Vivi! The bomb! We need to get to the bomb before it detonates!"

"Aah! That's right! Now's our chance! But...where would it be?"

"I know where it is, follow me!" The two turn on their heel and go running into the palace past, Chaka and Cobra. Below them, Run suddenly appears again, tossing aside a large chunk of concrete as if it weighs nothing. Crocodile kneels across from him, his escape made from the rubble courtesy of his Devil Fruit abilities. Covered in dust, and ignoring his aching ribs, his gaze briefly flicks to the palace above before going back to the red head. Run slowly descends the pile of rubble, brushing himself off as he does.

Aside from the addition of some fresh scrapes and bruises, he doesn't appear to have taken the fall that badly. The soldiers, and rebels who had gathered since he'd taken the steps to the palace, all immediately fall deathly silent, staring at the two men. Several of them begin to collapse, and then several more the closer Run gets to the group, his will over-powering, and dominating those weaker than himself. It isn't long before the soldiers and rebels all collapse, leaving the entire area completely silent.

It's a strange feeling. With the sounds of battle echoing through the city, it feels as if the two of them are standing in the heart of the storm. Nothing and no one moves aside from the two of them. It's as if they're completely separated from the rest of the world.

"Just you and me now, Crocodile," Run says, bending to retrieve a pair of sabers from an unconscious rebel. The blades of his weapons darken, turning black as pitch as he infuses them both with his Haki. The Shichibuki's eyes narrow in response. Run is moving the next second, covering the distance between the two of them while Crocodile stands. The first strike of his blade is targeted not at him, but rather his now poisonous hook. The impact is followed immediately by a second, harder strike, that actually sends the Shichibuki stumbling back in a shower of sparks and sprayed venom.

A myriad of thoughts go racing through Crocodile's head. He believed the red head would be at least somewhat fatigued by now, but that clearly isn't the case. That combined with the intensity of the strikes, and the precision of them; both struck in the same place at the base of his hook...something about this isn't right. He hadn't shown this level of skill with a single blade, and clearly seemed to be more at home fighting bare-handed then with a weapon. So why now? Why choose to fight with swords now?

Run's attacks become more and more intense, each one hard enough to jar his bones and rattle his teeth. Crocodile calmly paces backwards, turning his hook with the blows each time in an attempt to lessen the impact. The red head is a flurry of motion, his strikes possessing both finesse and monstrous strength. The Shichibuki grinds his teeth in anger,; he won't allow himself to give anymore ground. He's running out of time, and he needs to finish this quickly!

Lips curling into a silent snarl, Crocodile surges forward, hook cutting a wide arc towards the red head's neck. A single blade whips up, edge meeting hook and deflecting the blow before it comes close. Run follows the motion, stepping right under his arm towards the Shichibuki's left side. He quickly swings his arm back, once again meeting the edge of his blade rather than flesh. White hot pain runs through him like a bolt of lightning, radiating from the fresh slash on his thigh. Pain and fury ignite with Crocodile in a potent fireball, who reacts before he can stop himself.

"You damn red hair!" bellows Crocodile, once again swinging his hook towards the red head. The sound of metal on metal sounds as Run's blade whip up, deflecting with right and then pushing the hook straight backwards with left. The sudden changes actually spins the Shichibuki, sending him stumbling backwards before he can stop himself. "I'll kill-"

"Sundering Tide!" exclaims Run, blade falling straight down toward him. Crocodile reacts immediately, hook raising in front of him to ward off the slash. Hook and sword collide head on, and to Crocodile's utter amazement, his hook gives way under the pressure of the red head's strike. Lopped off at the hilt, where he'd struck again and again, his blade cleaves the Shichibuki from shoulder to hip. In a spray of blood, he pitches backwards slowly, eyes boring into the red head's own.

How has this happened? How has someone like HIM, who has such a weakling for a Captain, managed to do this to him? It should have been childs play to eliminate a fighter- no, a _swordsman_ , like him. No matter how had he tries, he can't connect his bare-handed fighting with the swordsman in front of him. It's like two entirely different people. Even so...even so, it should have been easy. He should have been able to drag out the fight, and deplete his ability to use Haki entirely and then go in for the kill.

So, why then? Why couldn't he kill him out-right?

The ground grows closer, his head pitching back and shifting his gaze to the palace where they had been only minutes ago...and where that damn Nico Robin still is.

This was her plan...this was her plan from the beginning. She never had any intention to assist him, not even in the slightest. Just as he was using her, she was using him, and Baroque Works. She used his own organization to find this man...she'd used his reputation, and his connections to bring him down...and now he's sure that she's laughing at him.

The Shichibuki strikes the ground in front of Run, landing flat on his back with arms and legs spread wide. He can't seem to find the strength to move, he can't even shift his gaze from the azure sky above. The 'clack' of Run's geta on the stone fills his ears over the beat of his heart and his heavy breaths. The red head slowly appears in his field of vision, sabers clutched tightly, and held at a low ready by his sides. A heavy foot slams down on his metal gauntlet hard enough to deform it's surface as he pins it there.

"Haaah...any last words?" Run questions him, breathing slightly heavy. Old and fresh blood stain the front of his now ragged shirt crimson, a strange off-set to his now pale skin. Wasn't he going strong just moments ago? Why the sudden change?

"You...damn...red haired...bastard!" growls Crocodile, eyes boring into the red head once more.

"Not very original for someone's dying words...but so be it." Run slowly raises his left hand, turning the point of his saber towards Crocodiles vulnerable throat. There's a tremble in the blade, and the red head is beginning to sway on his feet. Crocodile's eyes narrow...and a sly grin suddenly splits his face. Just above the collar of his shirt, sticking out of his shoulder is a large shard of metal...a metal his recognizes all too well. It belongs to his venomous hook. A sliver must have sheered off, and embedded in him when he cut through the hook. "See you...'round...Crocodile."

Rather than the thrust that Run was intending he instead stumbles forward, weapon missing by a wide margin. He takes only a few steps before stopping, and actually dropping to a knee. Though, Crocodile can no longer see the red head, the clatter of metal on stone brings an even wider smile to the man's face. Laughter builds slowly in the Shichibuki before bellowing out across the silence city square.

"I'm surprised...that you...held up so long...with a full dose of venom...red hair."

"Damn you," Run growls, slowly shaking his head and raising his Haki coated hand towards the hook embedded deep in his shoulder. It feels as though not just his arm, but his entire body is suddenly made of lead! Regardless he turns to look at Crocodile, who, with some difficulty, begins to sit up. The red head growls loudly, and attempts to force himself to his feet despite the numbness that's rapidly beginning to spread through his entire body. Unfortunately, his body simply won't listen and rather than remain standing, he ends up stumbling and dropping a knee once more. "You-"

He's cut off by a strike from Crocodile's now hook-less gauntlet that's strong enough to actually flip him in his crouched position. Dazed by the venom and the strike, his numbed fingers release the cutless, sending the blade bouncing across the ground. Like an iron band, Crocodile's hand closes around his throat, before lifting him straight up to eye level.

"I'm gonna finish you off once and for all, red hair."

"Do...your worst...Croc," Run taunts, actually daring to smirk at him.

" **CROCODILE!** " bellows a loud voice from above their heads. Both immediately turn skyward just in time to see the owner of the voice plummeting out of the sky, a barrel strapped to his back and hand pressed tightly to the top of his head. He impacts the ground hard enough to crush the stone under his feet. Anyone else would have broken both legs but he doesn't seem to be any worse for wear.

"Impossible," Crocodile mutters, turning to stare at the straw-hat wearing man. "I buried you."

"L...Luffy...?" mutters the red head. Luffy takes one look at the state of his oldest friend and then actually growls in response.

"Let him go!" demands Luffy, suddenly cocking back. "Gum-Gum..." His arm stretches from his current position to the opposite end of the city square before he sends it barreling in their direction. The Shichibuki actually smiles in response, staring down the fist rushing towards him. If the fool is so eager to rehash their earlier battle, he'll finish him first before dealing with the red head. "...Pistol!" Luffy's fist strikes him square on the jaw, his head snapping in the opposite direction.

He immediately releases Run as he goes sailing across the city square into one of the buildings, demolishing it completely. Run strikes the ground flat on his back, relief and surprise mixing within him in equal parts. Relief in that he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that Luffy is alive, and surprise that he had actually struck Crocodile. Maybe he'd picked up some things from Shanks? If that's the case...would it be alright to leave this to him? Luffy suddenly appears in his field of vision.

"Oi, Run, are you ok?" He kneels at the side of his friend, actually helping him sit up.

"I'll...live," Run assures him, still smiling. "So focus...on Crocodile." Hearing running foot-steps, Luffy glances back quickly to find none other than the rest of his crew quickly approaching.

"Luffy! Run!" exclaim them all, drawing near. If they're bothered by the destruction or all the unconscious rebels and guards they don't show it. Luffy grins from ear to ear in response, and actually laughs as he sees them. At least until he remembers the shape Run is in.

"Aah! Chopper! Run is hurt!" Luffy tells him, watching the little reindeer approach Run's side quickly. "Look after him...while I take care of Crocodile." Laughter once more echos across the silent city square, and all eyes turn towards the sound. As the dust settles they find Crocodile standing in front of the building he'd been launched into my Luffy.

"So, it looks like you figured out a way to hit me," Crocodile says, watching as Luffy suddenly grasps the hose attached to the barrel and douses himself with water.

"That's right. I figured it out when Toto's water spilled on you. If you're wet, then I can hit you." Luffy grins so broadly it amazing his face doesn't get hurt. "Which means, now I'm gonna kick your ass...Crocodile...!"


	22. End of a Drought! Crocodile Defeated!

Hello~! This chapter is going to be a little short, unfortunately! I have to go do a thing at a place with a person for about a week and a half, and unfortunately, I won't have access to any kind of electronic device that isn't work related, so I just wanted to finish it before I left! With that, I hope you all enjoy this! If you do, please don't forget to favorite or review! It really lets me know that you guys care!

* * *

Luffy's grin is face splitting to say the least as his reaches up to grip his bicep. "I'm gonna kick your ass, Crocodile!" Luffy shouts, cocking back seconds later. "Gum-Gum...Pistol!" His fist flies towards the Shichibuki, who dodges quickly, avoiding the incoming attack that strikes the building behind him hard enough to demolish the remains. "Crap, I missed!"

"You're just using the same attack," Crocodile says, hand shifting quickly. "Desert Spada!" He jams his hand into the stone, sending a line racing towards the young Captain who dodges to his side, avoiding it by the skin of his teeth. It barely misses his crew, gathered close together behind him by Run.

"Aah! Crap!" Luffy looks back quickly, just in time to see his crew running up the stairs towards the palace with Zoro carrying their First Mate over his shoulder as if it were nothing. Zoro huffs and puffs as he carries the limp red head, taking the stairs two at a time as they retreat. "Alright...it's just you and me now, Crocodile." The Shichibuki's breathing is heavy, his body aching. Between the gaping slash on his chest, and his broken ribs, his fight with the red head has certainly taken it's toll, and it's beginning to catch up with him.

This man may not be capable of using Haki, but he's certainly capable of thinking outside the box...and he has an annoying Devil Fruit ability to boot. He needs to finish this fight as quickly as possible...time is not on his side. He glances up at the clock tower standing in silent vigil over the city. Just ten minutes left...he needs to put an end to this. A low growl resonates in Crocodile's chest.

"Alright, now! Gum-Gum..." He cocks back and launches his fist towards the Shichibuki again.

"Do you think just using the same attack over and over again will-"

"-Buckshot!" He plucks on his stretched arm as if it were a guitar string, and the ripple sends his fist flying in all directions. Crocodile's eyes widen in surprise moments before he's struck numerous times by Luffy's unorthodox attack. The Shichibuki pitches backwards from the punches but finds himself suddenly suspended in air by Luffy's grip on his shoulders. "Gum-Gum..." Luffy begins spinning in place like a pin-wheel before suddenly rocketing towards him. "...Buzzsaw!" It's a headbutt on par with some of the strikes he's suffered lately, and his mind briefly goes blank as he goes crashing across the pavement. Luffy stares at the prone form of Crocodile, his smile still firmly in place. "C'mon! Get up! I'm gonna keep kickin' yer ass until you give it back!"

"Hah...give it back...you say?" Crocodile asks, slowly standing up. "And just what do you want, exactly? Wealth? Fame? Trust?" Crocodile actually starts laughing at him. "You'll need to be more specific! I've taken so many things that I don't know what it is you're looking for!"

"The country...give it back! This is Vivi's country!"

"The country?" echos the Shichibuki. "That's an odd thing to ask for, when I'm just about to take it, after all!" Luffy growls in response to the man's taunting.

"Fine...then I'll just have to make you...!"

* * *

"We should be safe up here," Nami says, looking around the area in front of the palace. The place is nearly destroyed entirely. It doesn't take her long to realize that the fight between Run and Crocodile must have started up here before ending up down in the square below. "Aah! Run!" She turns to look towards Zoro who rather unceremoniously drops him to the ground beside him. Even Chopper panic's when he see's what Zoro has done, quickly rushing to the injured man's side.

"What the hell, Red?" Zoro asks, watching him slowly roll onto his back. "Did you put on weight or-" He's suddenly struck in the top of the head by Nami hard enough to raise a knot. "Aaah! What the hell, Nami?! Why did you do that?!"

"Are you an idiot?!" Nami asks him. "Why would you drop someone who's injured like that?!"

While the two continue their argument, Chopper quickly pulls out his little doctor bag from...somewhere, to begin his treatment. Confusion, and then concern floods the little reindeer. Run's wounds are terrible to be sure but they shouldn't be affecting him like they are. A strange scent reaches his nose, and he begins sniffing all over the red head quickly looking for it. It isn't sweat, or even blood it's...something strange. He immediately locates the source of the smell coming from the wound on his shoulder.

"Run, what's this?" Chopper questions him quickly. "What happened here?"

"Venom," Run tells him, earning the attention of everyone there. "From...his hook. Causes paralysis."

"What?!" The little reindeer immediately begins to panic, and starts digging through his bag quickly. He needs to find something to neutralize the venom rushing through the red head as quickly as possible. He doesn't normally carry something like antivenom, but he knows that he has something to at least help fight the effects of it. Still, that won't matter if he can't find some way to treat to cause.

"Venom?" echos Sanji. "Don't you have something you can give him?"

"I don't carry things like that," Chopper admits. "Besides, if I give him the wrong thing then it can be really bad! It could make things a whole lot worse!"

"Well, give him something!" Nami demands quickly, pressuring their doctor. They're so caught up in trying to help the red head that the only one who notices Vivi and Robin approaching is Zoro. The two of them look as though they've been through the wringer but otherwise seem to be alright.

"Oi, Vivi, Robin," Zoro begins, only to watch their crew's archaeologist shove past everyone to get to Run. She kneels at his side, and produces a small vial of something which she promptly pours into the red head's mouth. The feeling in his limbs begins to return almost immediately. Whatever it is that she's feeding him seems to have done the trick! When the vial is empty she tosses it aside and watches as the red head seems to make a near instant recovery.

"Feeling better?" Robin asks, a smile appearing on his face.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact," Run replies, slowly leaning up. "What was that?"

"Antivenom. I've known about Crocodile's venomous hook for a while, and so I figured it would be a good idea to create an antivenom in the event he decided to use it against me." Run smirks in response. He shouldn't have been surprised in the slightest, really. It is the smart thing to do. He raises his left hand, clenching and unclenching it into a fist several times before he's satisfied. "It's fast acting, too. So-" He cuts her off by gently gripping the back of her neck and pulling her in for a kiss.

Several faces turn a crimson fit to match Run's hair as they watch on. Sanji is stunned for but a moment before suddenly growling. "Oi, Red, what the hell?!" Sanji demands. "What do you think you're doing taking advantage of Robin like that?!" Both seem completely oblivious to what's going on around them, focused solely on each other. It isn't until she pulls back from him that they stop, Run's smirk once again firmly in place on his face.

"I see you really are feeling better."

"Very much so."

"Is that...are you two...um," Nami seems to be at a loss for words. Certainly, it explains a lot about what happened before. It explains why Robin knew exactly what room that Run was staying in and...and why he was naked. Her face turns red again. "T-That explains some things, I guess. I never figured you had... _that_ kind of relationship." While Sanji seems to lament the fact that some 'things' may have happened between the two, Robin and Run both stand.

"Wait...if you're up here, then where is Crocodile?" Vivi questions them.

"Luffy's fighting him right now," Run explains. The red head can see the relief flood her features and she presses a hand to her chest as she breathes a heavy sigh. Hearing running foot-steps rapidly approaching all heads turn to find not just the King but Chaka and another man quickly approaching.

From the bandages covering the king Run assumes that Chaka must have carted him off immediately for treatment...without his permission it seems if his sprinting is any indication. "Vivi!" Cobra shouts, running towards them. Without waiting for her response he quickly embraces his daughter, and she hugs him back just as fast. Of course, when they seperate, he immediately begins scolding her. "Why would you go running off like that?! Do you know how worried I was?"

"I-I'm sorry, father," Vivi says sheepishly. "But I had to go find that bomb."

"Bomb?!" Usopp echos, panicking quickly. "There's a bomb?! Where?!"

"It's been taken care of," Robin tells him. "Even if Crocodile tries to detonate it, it won't be possible." Everyone breathes a sigh of relief. "So, now that _that_ has been taken care of...what now?" Robin looks pointedly at the red head who slowly rotates his shoulders.

"I'm going to help Luffy," Run says simply, approaching the edge of the platform. "I've still got a score to settle with Crocodile, after all..."

* * *

"Straw-Hat!" bellows Crocodile, watching Luffy rush towards him, arms stretched back.

"Gum-Gum...Bazooka!" exclaims Luffy, slamming both palms into the Shichibuki's stomach. It sends him sailing back, and smashing into the ground hard enough to smash the concrete. "I got you now!" Luffy rushes the downed Crocodile while grasping the barrel on his back and raising it over head. "You can't do anything if you're completely soaked!" He leaps up and tosses the barrel straight down.

"Not happening, Straw-Hat! Sables!" A rush of wind and sand send Luffy and the barrel spinning skyward. "You think I'll let you do something like that when it's so obvious?" Luffy stretches his arms out, reaching for the barrel and pulling it back safe before he goes crashing into the ground. Crocodile sits up, glaring at the rubber Captain across from him. Why is this taking so long?! Why wasn't all of this just going according to plan?! "I don't under stand why you're doing all of this."

"I'm doing it for Vivi," Luffy tells him, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "What other reason do I need?"

"For Vivi? That doesn't make any sense! Why would you help someone who is just going to burden you with their problems? Doesn't it make more sense to cut that kind of person loose?!"

"If Vivi is going to fight for her country...then we're going to help her! As long as she's willing to fight, we're going to help her do it! No matter what! Because that's what friends do!" Crocodile grinds his teeth in his fury, and looks fit to spit blood as he slowly stands.

"I've had enough of this nonsense already! Ground Death!" Luffy watches as all the excess water that he'd spilled across the ground immediately dries up, followed in short order by the pavement! Cracks spiral out across the ground in all directions, immediately drying the landscape, and even those unconscious rebels and royal guard soldiers who are near him. Everything below is reduced to little more than barren, wasted land. "Now...Sables: Pesado!" A ball of compressed sand is slung at the rubber Captain, and it collides with his chest hard enough to send him smashing into a building, which promptly collapses on him in it's brittle, and dried state.

Several long moments pass without any sound or movement before the Shichibuki actually smirks. It seems as though that's taken care of things. He turns on his heel to face the palace...he has to finish off that annoying red head before he's treated. He takes only a single step before a soft sound reaches his ears. He glances back slowly, just in time to watch the rubble rise.

"Oi, oi...don't go turning your back on us, yet, Croc," says a familiar, and now extremely irritation voice. It seems as if the entire building is being lifted, and through the dust he can plainly see both Luffy and Run. The red head hefts the building skyward as if it doesn't weigh a thing. Both Luffy and his barrel of water appear as though they weren't bothered in the slightest by his attack.

"Aah! Good timing, Run!" Luffy laughs, dropping the barrel by his side.

"Haaah...you know me...Cap'n!" laughs Run, actually smirking. "Alright! Now, take... _this_!" Run then actually throws the building in his direction. Crocodile is dumb-struck for a moment...after all, who has had an entire _building_ thrown at them before?

Unfortunately for them shock wears off as the building nears the Shichibuki, and his eyes narrow in response. "Desert Grande Espada!" exclaims Crocodile, as a blade of sand erupts from the ground to pierce and shatter what's left of the building. "Do you think-" Through the storm of rubble and debris, flying like a bullet fired from a gun, comes Luffy, fists raised and grin splitting his face. "Wha?!"

"Good throw, Run!" Luffy exclaims, stretching an arm back. "Gum-Gum...Bullet!" His fist connects with the Shichibuki's jaw hard enough throw him straight back. Luffy grasps his shoulders as he flies away, and yanks hard back towards him. "You're not going anywhere, Crocodile!" As soon as he's back in range, Luffy sends him sailing skyward with a powerful kick. "Run!"

"Right!" exclaims Run, grabbing the water barrel and dashing in his Captain's direction. Luffy takes a deep breath while Run draws near, inflating himself like a ballon. Run jumps and actually uses his inflated Captain like a trampoline to send himself sailing skyward.

"You damn pests!" bellows Crocodile, twisting in air to face down at Luffy. "Why won't you just give up and die?! Huh?!" A snarl escapes the Shichibuki as he notices the rapidly incoming red head. "Desert La Spada!" Sand flows rapidly off of the man, forming a set of blades as a barrier between them.

"Not happenin'." A powerful blow scatters the blades, his Haki infused kick punching right through them as if they weren't even there. "Heads up!" A wooden barrel sails through the scattered sand, smashing into Crocodiles chest and exploding on contact to drench him in water from head to toe. It's a hit hard enough to rob him briefly of his breath, and results in Run losing his momentum and starting his fall back to the ground below. He glances back briefly, a smirk appearing on his face. "It's your fight again, Cap'n."

"Gum-Gum..." Luffy twists himself up like a pretzel, and suddenly exhales all the air, sending himself sailing skyward past Run and towards Crocodile like a spinning top. "...Storm!" His fists are a blur of motion to a stunned Crocodile, each one hitting his battered body like a blow from a sledge-hammer and propelling him further into the air. The red head can only smile as he watches on. Luffy would always find a way to even the odds against an opponent. Even if he didn't help out, he was sure that he would have beaten Crocodile with ease. The attack culminates in a final powerful punch, propelling the man into higher into the sky.

Luffy stretches an arm out, and grasps the unconscious man by the front of his shirt before spinning and throwing him straight down to the ground below. It's an impact hard enough to crush the already cracked stone, and embed him in the rock. Both Run and Luffy follow moments later. If Luffy's body wasn't made of rubber, and Run didn't reinforce himself with Haki, they might have broken something in the landing. As it was, though, it was simply uncomfortable for both of them to take the landing.

They stand beside the defeated Shichibuki, both staring down at his unconscious body in silence. Neither one of them notice the running foot-steps, the sounds of battle drawing closer...or the gathering clouds over-head. It isn't until Run feels the first drop of rain that he slowly turns his head skyward towards the dark clouds. He extends a hand, palm facing the sky just in time for several more drops to fall.

"Haaah...rain, huh?" Run says with a chuckle.

"Huh?" Luffy grunts, looking up quickly. "Oi, oi! Run! Look! It's raining! Look! Rain! Rain!" Luffy seems to forget entirely about the battle they'd just had with Crocodile as he begins laughing. Run turns his attention to their surroundings. The men he'd knocked out with his Haoshoku Haki, and whom had been summarily dried out by Crocodile were finally beginning to come to; revived by the rain, apparently. Not just them, but more rebels and members of the royal guard, too, were beginning to swarm the square.

Though their tempers seemed to be temporarily cooled by the rain, it didn't seem like everything was said and done. Their tempers could flare again at any moment. Then, as if reading his thoughts, they all heard a voice echoing across the now silent battlefield.

" **PLEASE! NO MORE FIGHTING**...!"


	23. Goodbye, Alabasta Goodbye, Vivi

Helloooo~! Guess who's back early! Let me just say, I have traveling! No matter what you...aaah, never mind! I'm glad to be back, and I'm so glad that I'm going to release this chapter earlier than I planned! So, without further ado, here it is! Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

* * *

" **EVERYONE! PLEASE STOP FIGHTING...!** "

It's a call to peace that echos across the silent square and beyond. Tempers cool, and anger falls by the wayside, as all heads turn to Vivi, standing bold as brass in front of the palace. More people crowd the square, some to listen to or to get a good look at Vivi, others to stare on at a defeated Crocodile...and others curious about the two men standing next to him. "Luffy, we should go," Run says, slowly scanning their surroundings.

"Aah? But why?" Luffy asks, confused. "We won, didn't we?" He laughs and then begins slapping Run on the back. "C'mon! We should celebrate!" No sooner has he said that then they find themselves suddenly surrounded on all sides by Marines. "O-Oi...oi, oi! What's going on? We're surrounded?!"

"Haaah...looks like it."

"You two!" exclaims a woman's voice, attracting their attention to someone they both vaguely recognize. They recall that she was with Smoker before...what was her name? Tashigi? The woman grips the saya of her katana as she stares them down. "'Straw-Hat' Monkey D. Luffy, and 'Red' Run! You're under arrest! You..." She finally seems to notice the unconscious Crocodile embedded in the stone behind them. "What happened here? What did you two do?!"

"Well, you see..."

"W-Wait!" calls a voice urgently. The crowd of people part for the trio of men coming through, and both Luffy and Run watch Cobra, Chaka and the same strangely dressed man from before approach. "Just hold on for a moment!" Tashigi seems to recognize the man as the ruler and politely bows to him. Cobra wastes no time in explaining everything, down to the last detail of what has happened. Even though Luffy and Run are already aware of all it, it's still quite a story to hear. The minutes tick by as everything is laid bare, and at the end of all of it Tashigi is staring intently at the unconscious Shichibuki.

"I see," Tashigi finally says after several moments of intense silence. She surprises everyone by slowly walking forward towards Luffy and Run...and passing by them completely to stop beside Crocodile. What she says next surprises everyone. The woman proclaims that for his crimes, by order of the Navy he is to be stripped of his title as a Shichibuki; his privileges revoked, and his freedom forfeit. She motions to several Marines, who immediately approach and place a pair of hand-cuffs around his wrists.

"What should we do with these two?" asks one of the Marines.

Tashigi turns to face them calmly. It seems to them that a fight is going to be unavoidable. Even if they did go out of their way to save this country, they're pirates and these are Marines. It's something that's impossible to forget about. "Leave them."

"W...What?"

"I said, leave them. We're going."

"B-But, now is the perfect opportunity! While they're injured we can-"

"I won't allow it!" Her raised voice, and glare silences any other argument that they might put up. "Let's go. We're leaving now." Both watch as she starts walking towards the two of them in the direction that they've come from. She pauses for a brief moment between the two of them, in a voice barely audible over the rain, both would swear she whispered a 'thank you' before continuing on. Run actually smirks in response, watching her walk away with the Marines. It must have really hurt to swallow her pride and actually thank two pirates for protecting a country from someone supported by the World Government.

As soon as they've disappeared from sight both Luffy and Run collapse to the pavement. Their wounds have finally gotten the best of them...

* * *

What happened next was a little fuzzy for the Straw-Hat crew. As they'd all collapsed from exhaustion after the battle had wound down. Cobra took them in afterwards, shielding them from the Navy and putting them up in the palace to recover. It was one of the best sleeps that Run could remember having in a while. When they all finally woke up they had their wounds treated properly by Chopper...although, Zoro and Run keep removing the bandages, much to the little reindeer's annoyance. However, while most of the crew had woken up, Luffy still remained asleep.

Chopper explained to them that it was a result of his wounds being the most severe out of all of them, and that with time he would wake up on his own. So, while Luffy slept, three days passed, and the crew found ways to keep themselves occupied while he recovered. Chopper seemed to have found himself a kindred spirit in the form of an elderly doctor, Nami and Robin occupied themselves by reading books from the extensive library within the palace, Sanji cooks often despite there being a number of other chef's serving in the palace and Usopp would often accompany him in his shopping trips.

While most of the crew was relaxing, however, Zoro and Run would disappear most of the day out into the desert for training. Currently, both men sit cross legged, facing one another with gigantic boulders balanced on out-stretched arms. "Oi, Red," Zoro calls, finally breaking the silence that'd fallen between them.

"Yeah, Zoro?" Run grunts in response, eyes opening slowly.

"Tell me clearly...how did you cut Crocodile?" It's a question Run figured would be asked eventually. However, it seemed that no one was willing to do it until now.

"Busoshoku Haki. Like this." His arms are quickly coated in Haki from elbow to finger tip.

"That can be used with a sword?"

"Yeah." Run tells the swordsman what he knows on the subject. He starts by explaining the basic's behind Haki, and tells him that the use of Busoshoku Haki can be defensive or offensive. He's sure to tell him that the only reason he can use it is that his father made sure to properly and thoroughly teach it to him, and that the chances of awakening it on your own or by accident are slim to none. It takes several long minutes to give him even the short version and when it's all been said, Zoro slowly nods in understanding.

"Teach me."

"Haaah...excuse me?"

"I said, teach it to me."

"I don't know how."

"Wha? But you said it was taught to _you_!"

"By my _father_ , Zoro! I'm no teacher! I wouldn't even know how to begin teaching it to someone else!" Zoro sighs heavily in response and suddenly tosses the boulders on his arms behind him as if they weigh nothing. Seeing him do this, Run does the same and then stands.

"Fine. If you can't teach it to me, then do something else for me."

"Haaah...yeah, sure." The red head grunts in surprise as something is thrown at him the next moment. He plucks the item out of the air and looks at it in confusion. "A sword?" The sound of swords being drawn reaches his ears and he looks up at Zoro. He's clutching two swords in one hand, and the third in the other.

"Have a match with me! I feel like it's the quickest way to improve!" Run looks at the sword again, and then back at Zoro with a smirk on his face. Zoro seems to take this as an affirmation, and places the third blade in his mouth, held firmly in place by his teeth.

"Well...I'm a swordsman when I have to be, I guess..."

* * *

The walk back through the palace is one made is silence for the two men...not because one of them is upset. No, just the opposite! In fact, both Zoro and Run in a great mood. It was a good sparring match, after all. Both of them learned a lot from it. They're a little roughed up from it, too, but it's nothing that can't be treated easily by Chopper...although, it'll mean getting an ear full from him as a result. Even so, they push on to the room that they know Chopper and Luffy are going to be in.

Their doctor has been looking after him for the whole three days, after all. As they near, they hear someone's loud voice calling, " **YEAH! I SLEPT GREAT!** " Run's steps quicken in response, and he pushes the door open with a smile on his face. Sitting cross-legged at the head of the bed is Luffy, who grins immediately at the two of them when he notices them. "Aah! Run, Zoro! Long time no see!"

"Glad to see you're awake, Luffy," Run replies, earning Chopper's attention.

"Aaah! You two!" exclaims Chopper, running and jumping off the bed to confront them about their roughed up appearance. "You two have been off training again, haven't you?! And you took off the bandages, too!" The red head offers a shrug of his shoulders in response.

"Aah, so what?" Zoro questions him, reaching for a water jug to pour himself a drink. "It's our business, isn't it?"

"Even so, no means no! I'm the ship's doctor, and I said no training! That also means no taking off the bandages!" While Chopper yells at the two of them, Usopp fills Luffy in on what's been going on while he's been asleep for three days. Unfortunately, the only part he hears is the three days.

"Aaah! Three days?!" Luffy exclaims. "You mean, I've missed fifteen meals?! No wonder I'm so hungry!" The doors to the room are suddenly thrown wide open...to reveal no only Igaram but a woman who looks almost exactly like him. "What the?! It's the old tube haired guy! You really were alive the whole...what the?! Who is that?!"

"That's one hell of a magic trick," Run mutters, looking between the two of them. Vivi, who had been sitting quietly the whole time decides it's finally time to speak up. She tells them that Igaram had returned to the palace after they'd passed out...something that was extremely strange considering the fact that they'd seen him get blown up. She also tells them that the woman standing beside him is called Terracotta, and is in fact, Igaram's wife and head of the palace servants.

"I'm so glad to finally meet all of you!" Terracotta says by way of greeting. "I just wanted to thank you all for helping Princess Vivi and my darling husband."

"Yeah...I thought you got killed?" Everyone looks immediately at the red head who is staring at the man as if he's seen a ghost.

"Aah, yes," Igaram begins. "It seems I survived."

" **YEAH NO KIDDING**!" exclaims everyone in unison. The man explains that it was through sheer luck that he managed to survive the explosion, and that even though he'd been heavily injured he managed to swim to shore and patch himself up before pursuing them.

"Well, now that that's settled, I heard you were hungry!" Terracotta says, motioning to a man behind them. He wheels in a huge cart filled to the brim with fruits of all shapes, sizes and colors. "Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes, but in the mean time I hope this will hold you over." Luffy seemingly inhales everything in the cart almost faster than any of them can see.

"That was a good snack," Luffy tells her. "But I'm still hungry, so get ready! Cause I'm gonna eat fifteen meals worth!"

"I plan on it! I've been cooking here for quite so time and no one has ever left hungry, so I don't plan on losing to some youngsters stomach!" She and Igaram leave the room with the cart a few moments later, leaving just Vivi and the crew alone in the room. So, while they're waiting, Run walks over to where he's seen Robin sitting and sits down on the bed beside her.

"Looks like you had a good time," Robin says, glancing up briefly from the book she's been buried in for the past three days.

"Yeah, I guess I did," Run agrees, leaning forward and resting his forearms on his knees. "How about you? Book really that interesting?" Robin smiles slightly in response before suddenly leaning against him, and resting her head on his shoulder. Before they wouldn't have done such a thing in front of the rest of the crew, but Run had put an end to that sneaking around when he'd suddenly kissed her in front of everyone.

"My, you almost sound jealous."

"Just curious."

"Hmm. Well, if you're really that curious then, yes, it is interesting. It's the history of Alabasta." While she allows him a peek at the pages, it doesn't mean much to him since he hasn't read even a single thing about the country or it's history.

"I'm glad, then..."

* * *

Dinner at the palace is...lively, to say the least! There was plenty of laughter, singing and joking going on the whole time they were eatting. Luffy shoveled food into his mouth like there was no tomorrow, Zoro and Run were drinking cup after cup of booze, Chopper almost choked and everyone else just seemed to be enjoying the dinner. The guards watched as their Captain stuffed dish after dish into his mouth, assured that the man had never learned any kind of table manners...and that may not have been too far off the mark, as Run well knew.

After they'd eaten their fill, Cobra invited all of them to enjoy themselves in the bath. Even Igaram comes to join them in the bath. To call the bath 'extravagant' simply wouldn't do it justice at all. It was a true work of art, and large on top of it.

"This is the palace's proud main bath," Cobra tells them. "It's normally only used during the rainy season but since this is such a momentous occasion, it seems only right to use it." Luffy and Usopp go charging forward, each on calling that they'll be the first one in. Unfortunately, both end up slipping and end up bouncing around the bath. After they get themselves together, rather than simply soak in the bath they begin splashing about like a couple of children.

"Luffy, it's a bath not a pool," Run tells him, listening to them splash around while he scrubs Chopper with a pair of brushes.

"Aaah! Zoro, look, look!" Usopp calls, earning the swordsman's attention. He glances over to see them standing under the spray of water in the bath. "It's training! Training!" Cobra seems to be amused with their antics, laughing while they spend most of their time goofing off.

"Oi, oi, Igaram," Sanji says, elbowing the man slightly. "Where's the women's bath, hm?"

"Are you stupid?!" Igaram asks him. "Why would I tell you? Princess Vivi is in there!"

"C'mon! Live a little, will you?" Before he can tell off the cook, the king surprises them all by pointing at the wall beside the bath.

"It's behind that wall!" Cobra tells them, much to Igaram's irritation. Everyone goes running over immediately, and jumps up with surprising ease to take a look over the wall into the women's bath. The women's bath is just as extravagant as the men's...but it's not the decor they're interested in. Though they can't see much considering the fact that the girls are busy scrubbing each other's back while facing away, it's still not bad. Robin is the first to notice them, and chuckles slightly in response.

"Enjoying the view, boys?" Robin asks, drawing attention to them.

"Very much so," Run tells her quiet plainly, ignoring the glares from Vivi and Nami.

"Those idiots," Nami mutters. "Hmph. Alright...it's be one-hundred thousand Beli per person!" She surprises them all, even Robin and Vivi by suddenly standing and flashing them. "Happiness Punch~!" Everyone but Run immediately drops back to their side, nose gushing blood. Run drops down with the others while laughing, and they quickly recover from the sight with Sanji apparently over the moon.

"All of you...while I have this opportunity, I want to thank you," Cobra tells them.

"Dirty old man," laugh the crew in response.

"Not for that! I want to thank you for everything you've done for my country." He actually bows to all of them.

"Oi, oi...is it alright for a King to bow so easily?" Zoro questions him. Igaram protests as well, saying that a King shouldn't lower his head to anyone. Cobra brushes the protests aside, telling them that he's not a King but just a grateful father here in the bath. All of them nod in understanding, telling him that it was nothing. Everything starts winding down, and they leave the bath to head back to their room. When every has settled in, they decide that since Luffy has woken up and everyone has recovered it's time for them to leave.

"Leave, huh?" Zoro asks. "Well, it's probably for the best."

"Haaah...we haven't really go much reason to stick around," Run agrees. "Everything has been sorted out."

"I'm worried about what the Navy has been up to as well," Sanji adds. "If we don't get back our ship could be in danger."

"So, if Luffy is alright with it, let's leave tonight, then." Naturally, Luffy decides they're ready to leave but only after eating some more Alabastian dishes. This is immediately over-ruled by nearly the entire crew, and they decide that they'll leave tonight. Vivi sits quietly through the whole talk, not saying a single word while they gather their few possessions and make ready to leave. Before they've even finished, however, there's a knock on the door and it's suddenly opened.

An Alabasta guard steps in carrying a transponder snail on a silver platter. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but there's a call for you," the guard tells them.

"For us?" Sanji asks. "From who?"

"About that, he says he's a friend of yours but he wouldn't tell me much else." Sanji picks up the receiver and holds it up.

"Hello?"

"Hello~!" calls an annoying and familiar voice. "Everyone~! It's me!" Sanji immediately slams the receiver down, cutting the call off. Unfortunately, rather than take the hint the transponder snail begins ringing rather loudly as he calls back. Luffy stretches his arms out, and snatches the transponder snail off the platter and over to himself to answer it.

"Oi, it's you, huh?" Luffy questions. "So, what do you want?"

"Aaah! Straw-Hat! Long time no see! I was surprised that you managed to defeat Crocodile! You're really strong, huh?" He pauses for a moment before continuing. "Oh! Make sure not to call me Mr. 2! If the Marines intercepted our call it would be really bad!"

"Look, just tell us what you want already," Run tells him, yelling at the reciever.

"Oh! Right! About your ship...I took it." This immediately pisses off every one of the crew. However, the man explains that he did it to hide their ship from the Navy, which has since looked down all the ports in Alabasta to prevent their escape. He tells them that he sailed it up the Sandora River in an effort to hide it and that he's waiting for their arrival. So, they decide that even if there's a risk involved in going to get it back, they can't exactly abandon the ship and they just have to chance it.

"Say, everyone," Vivi speaks, finally breaking her silence, and earning everyone's attention. "What...What should I do?" Nami tells her that she has twelve hours to decide. They'll bring the ship around to one of the ports, and if she has decided that she wants to come with them, that will be her only chance to get on board. They cast a rope out one of the windows, and begin scaling down. Vivi watches them all go in silence until only she and Run, the last one going down, remain. "Run...can I ask you something?" He nods in response, and turns to face her. "Was it difficult? Leaving your father and his crew, I mean."

"Haaaah...I can't tell you what to do, Vivi," Run tells her. "Stay or go, only you can make that decision."

"T-Then, how did _you_ decide?"

"For me, it was simple. I wanted to surpass my father, and so I decided the best way to do that was to join up with Luffy. But like I said, it's a decision only you can make." A smirk slowly appears on his face. "I'm going to surpass 'Red Haired' Shanks, and Luffy is going to be King of the Pirates...do you think you could handle being part of the Pirate King's crew?" When she opens her mouth to respond he holds a hand up, effectively silencing her. "Don't tell ME...tell all of us tomorrow."

"Right. I'll give you my answer tomorrow!"

"Stay or go...no matter the choice, no one is going to think any less of you. Remember that..."

* * *

Thankfully, Vivi was kind enough to offer them the duck squadron for transportation back to the Merry. Along the way, the subject of Vivi potentially coming along with them as a part of the crew. No one is sure whether or not she'll actually join them or not, Luffy and Sanji are hopeful that she'll join...for completely different reasons, Run is sure of that. They make it back to the ship several hours before dawn, and just like he said, Mr. 2 is waiting for them on the Merry.

While they were more than a bit upset with the man for taking their ship without permission, they still offered him a begrudged 'thanks' for keeping their ship out of harms way.

"Oh, while I appreciate your feelings, true friends don't require thanks," Bon Clay tells them, giving them a thumbs up. Naturally, the next second Luffy, Usopp and Chopper are dancing on deck with the man. Zoro, Sanji and Run continue loading the ship while they goof off, ignoring it for the most part.

"In other words, Mr. 2," Zoro says, while dropping a heavy crate. "You couldn't get off the island either, and so you went fishing for allies."

"O-Of course! In a time like this...we must all gather in the name of friendship!" Zoro and Run shake their heads slowly in response...

* * *

"Oh, give us a break!" exclaims Run, glaring at the ships in the distance. They were ambushed immediately after leaving the Sandora River by these Navy ships, all of which surrounded them and began firing large metal spikes into the hull of the Merry. Normally, it would have been no problem to deal with them no matter the number but they're at a severe disadvantage when it comes to naval warfare.

"Fight like men!" Luffy complains. "Aah, if only I could bounce them back!"

"I told you, Luffy, you'll skewered if you try!" Chopper suddenly pops up from below deck, a number of boards balanced on one shoulder. He tells them that the ship can't take much more, and he can't do much more than try to patch the holes. "We need to do something." A sudden explosion from the Merry's stern, and the summery sinking of two Navy ships draws their attention to Usopp. Apparently, he'd fired at one of them and actually managed to sink both.

"Ohhhh! Good job, Usopp!"

"A-Ahh! Of course, it's exactly as I planned!" Usopp laughs. Cries of 'It's her!' suddenly rise from Bon Clay's ship and crew, as they point towards the horizon, and the Navy ships sailing quickly in their direction. "Who is that? Who is 'her'?!"

"It's Hina!" Bon Clay shouts. "It's 'Black Cage' Hina! She's the Captain in charge of this area! If she catches us it'll be trouble! We should hurry and-"

"No," Luffy says simply.

"What?!"

"If you wanna go, you can. But we're not. We made a promise." Bon Clay stares at the crew, all of whom seem completely adamant about standing their ground and going the way that they had intended. Why not just sail south and escape as quickly as possible? "Noon at twelve...we've got to be there for a friend."

"A...A friend?"

"We don't have time to go around," Nami tells him. "We have to go straight through if we want to keep our appointment." The very thought of them risking their lives for their friend brings tears to his eyes, and he suddenly turns to face his crew.

"Listen up! Running away now would be like us at all! If we don't help our friends, who are willing to risk their lives...then can we really enjoy our meal tomorrow?! Just the thought of it is enough to leave a bad taste in my mouth, men!" Bon Clay decided immediately, that he was going to sacrifice himself for the Straw-Hats, having his men impersonate, the rest of the crew while he used his powers to mimic Luffy. With that plan in his head, he took his own ship and sailed off away from them. The Navy takes the bait, and they wait the three minutes he'd specified before they go sailing off again.

"He's braver than I gave him credit for," Robin murmurs.

"You and I both," Run agrees.

"Think she'll come with us?"

"Haaah...who knows? Living like this isn't for everyone, ya know." Unfortunately, while the majority of the Navy had taken the bait, it seems that there were still a few ships on stand by to interfere with them. Luffy made quick work of the few ships, batting aside cannon balls and Marines as if they weren't even there. After sinking the ships, they arrive at the meeting spot, and begin slowly sailing up the coast. They're just in time to hear Vivi giving her speech to the country.

"It doesn't look like she's gonna show," Zoro says, staring at the far shore. "I guess she made her decision."

"She'll come," Luffy says confidently. "I know it."

"Luffy...not everyone is cut out for this kinda life," Run tells him, arms crossed as he leans against the railing of the Merry. Usopp suddenly calls out that they have Navy ships hot on their tail. "Jeez, just how man ships did they bring?!" They sail hard to starboard, having no more time left to wait for Vivi.

" **EVERYONE!** " calls a familiar voice, attracting their attention back to the shore.

"Aaah! Vivi! See, I told you she'd be here!" Luffy bellows, laughing. "Let's turn the ship around!"

"I...I can't come with you!" Zoro, Robin and Run seem to be the only one's not surprised by her decision. "I want to come with you! I want to have more adventures and have more fun but...there's no ignoring that I love my country! So, I cannot go with you! I have to stay here but...but if we ever meet again somewhere...will I still be your friend?!"

"You'll always-" Run surprises his friend by suddenly clamping a hand over his mouth.

"Don't," Run says quickly. "If the Navy hears that we're connected with her it'll only cause trouble, Luffy. It'll be best for everyone if we just leave without saying anything." Luffy nods in understand as Run lowers his hand. The next moment, however, Luffy suddenly rolls up his sleeve and thrusts his arm into the air, revealing the 'X' they'd all drawn on there. The whole crew follows suit, showing off the mark on each of them arms. The red head even lifts Chopper up onto his shoulders so he doesn't have to keep jumping to be seen.

It's a mark between friends...one that each of them will carry no matter distance between each other...


	24. Mock Town, And Letters From Home!

Surprise~! A double release! I did a whole lot of writing before I left, and planned to release them slowly but I guess I just couldn't wait, since I've been so infrequent lately with the releases! So, here it is! I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Leaving behind Alabasta was a bit...depressing for most of the crew. They were sad to see Vivi go but happy to be back sailing the open sea again. At the very least they'd made themselves a friend for life, it seems. But after a few days of sailing, things seemed to be back to normal. They'd since shed the clothing they had gotten on Alabasta, returning to their regular clothing since they weren't dealing with the desert temperatures anymore. Everyone seemed to go back to their normal activies, as well. At the bow of the ship, Zoro and Run find themselves locked in combat with the majority of the crew staring on.

"Hahah! Go, Zoro! Go, Run!" Luffy laughs, watching them from his favorite seat.

"C'mon, Zoro, you do better than this," Run goads him.

"Same to you, Red," retorts Zoro, smirking at the red head. Though both of them are straining, neither one is going to be the first to show it. "Just so you know, I've never lost before." Run actually chuckles a bit in response before returning his smirk in full force.

"Neither have I." The table creeks loudly under the two men as attempts to force the others arm down. Neither of them seems willing to give so much as an inch in this arm wrestling competition.

"Is this gonna be over some time today?" Usopp asks, rubbing his arm with a pained look on his face. It had started off simply enough with Chopper and Usopp having their own little arm wrestling game...and then Zoro and Run had gotten involved, and now it had become this.

"Don't go trying to use any of that Haki stuff, either," Zoro tells him. "No cheating."

"I told you already, that's not what it's for" Run spits out. "And I don't need it to win."

"That right?!"

"That's right!" The two growl at each other like a pair of dogs, much to Robin's amusement. She had noticed that the two had gotten along well before Alabasta and it seems now they've found a rival in each other that they hadn't had before. One willing to push the other as much as possible. It wasn't all odd considering both of them had someone that they planned to one day surpass to achieve their dream. If they were reach that point, then they would both need someone driving them to push themselves to be better and better.

"Hm? What's this?" Usopp asks, holding a hand out and turning his head skyward. "Rain? No...hail?" Everyone but Zoro and Run look up as well, curious about what's going on. "What's that?" It's a small object falling from the sky...or at least it looks small...wait, it's growing...it's a ship?! A huge galleon drops out of the sky and into the sea beside the Merry! Their ship bucks and rolls on the massive waves, being struck by falling debris from the ship as it does!

"Luffy, protect the ship!" Sanji yells. "It won't take much more!" Their Captain does his best while the crew it shaken this way and that, dodging incoming boards and...bones?!

"Aaah! Bones! It's bones!" It seems like an eternity before everything stops falling, and the sea finally settles enough to stop throwing them around. The crew gathers on the lower deck with their Captain, looking around at all the dirt and boards.

"Everyone alright?"

"Yeah, why the heck did a ship fall from the sky?!" Luffy shouts, looking around.

"The grandline is so scary!" complains Usopp. "Strange weather, ships falling from the sky...just what kinda place is this?!"

"Aaah! The Log Pose!" Nami screams, attracting their attention to the Navigator. "It's broken!" Everyone gathers around to have a look at what she's screaming about. "Look! The needle is pointing straight up!" While everyone is panicking Robin chuckles slightly and shakes her head.

"No, it's functioning perfectly," Robin tells them. "It's just locked onto a stronger magnetic field."

"Huh?"

"If it's pointing up, it's probably locked onto the sky island."

"Sky Island?!" exclaims the crew in amazement. Robin explains that it's not so much a floating island but a floating sea that's attracting the needle to it. More than likely, the galleon fell from that sea down to where they are. Naturally, Luffy immediately wants to go to this island and sea, and orders them to turn the rudder up, an idea which is put down by the others on the spot.

"Honestly, I don't know much about this island, and I've never even seen it," Robin continues.

"So, it really is broken then," Nami concludes.

"No, Miss Navigator. In fact, our concern shouldn't be the Log Pose, but how we get to these islands. Remember...no matter what strange weather, or strange things happen to the ship, we should never doubt the Log Pose. That is the ironclad rule of traveling on the Grand Line. Just ask Run, who traveled with Shanks." Silence is her response and she looks around for a moment. "Run?"

"Oi, where is that red head?" Sanji asks. "And Moss Head, too, for that matter." All heads turn towards the bow of the ship, and everyone slowly makes their way up the stairs to find the two still sitting at the table, hands locked and completely oblivious to what's going on. "Are you serious?"

"I can go all night if I have to, Zoro," Run tells him, grinning.

"Think I can't, Red?" Zoro retorts...

* * *

Everyone is gathered around on the lower deck of the Merry, watching as Robin slowly pieces together the skull out of one of the coffins they'd fished from the galleon. "Think you can learn anything from it?" Run asks, slowly rubbing at the knot Nami had raised on his head. Zoro stands by silently, doing much the same thing. In the end, they'd called it a draw...but only because Nami had interfered.

"I don't know," Robin tells him. "I guess I'll find out."

"You've got some awfully strange tastes," Nami complains, standing further away from the coffin. Zoro looks around the deck for a moment, and he notices that Luffy and Usopp are nowhere to be found.

"Anyone see where Luffy and Usopp went?" Zoro questions them. Chopper points towards the galleon, and Zoro watches as the two go leaping around in the wreckage, disappearing into one of the parts that hasn't sank yet.

"Exploring, they say," Chopper says.

"What are those two doing?"

"Finished," Robin announces, placing a complete skull on the deck. There is a rather distinct hole in the back of the skull, and it's fairly obvious that it isn't supposed to be there. "These holes are man made. It looks to be craterization. Right, Doctor?"

"Yes," Chopper confirms. "In the past, they would drill holes in the skull to constrain a tumor. But it's a very old medical technique. One not used anymore."

"Right. I'd say it's been at least two-hundred years since this person died. He was in his mid-thirties, and probably fell sick and died while traveling the Grand Line. The reason his teeth are in such good shape compared to the rest of his bones, is because they've been treated with tar. It's a custom practiced primarily in the South Blue."

"You can find all that out from just looking at some bones?" Nami asks in amazement.

"The dead may not talk, but they may still hold information."

"So, that ship may be a treasure trove of information and records," Run concludes, turning his attention to the fallen galleon. "What the?!" Off in the distace, they can see Luffy flailing about in the sea while Usopp pulls him back towards the ship. After fishing their Captain out of the sea, he grins from ear to ear and suddenly thrusts a map out towards them.

"Look, look!" Luffy exclaims. "I found a map of the sky island! Skypiea!" While Luffy, Usopp and Chopper are over this moon with this find, and begin celebrating, Nami reminds them that although they've found a map, and the place _may_ exist, that doesn't mean they can get there. "You're the Navigator, can't you figure it out?" This spawns an arguement between the two that culminates in Luffy being struck in the head by the Navigator.

"Anyway," Nami says, turning to them. "If that galleon could get up there to map it, then that means this ship can get up there! So obviously, what we need is to do is salvage that ship and find some answers!" Hearing this, Usopp quickly whipped up some make shift diving suits. Luffy, Sanji, Zoro and Run donned the diving suits quickly. "We're count on you!"

"Good luck down there," Robin adds, as they turn and jump over board into the sea. They sink surprisingly fast into the depths of the sea, and through the gloom of the darkness they rapidly begin to make out the shape of huge sea monsters. Other than Chopper asking if things were alright, and if he could hear them, there was nothing said between them. When they finally reached the wreck at the bottom of the sea, they were slightly in awe of it's large size. Even so, it only lasted for a moment before they begin searching through the wreck.

Any and everything that one of them touched either crumbled apart or simply shattered when it was disturbed. It seemed to them like it was going to be bust. But they had yet to search the captain's quarters, and so that's where all three of them eventually gathered. Tucked back in the corner of the room was a large chest, which they promptly broke into. Unfortunately, it was all for naught as it was completely empty. They were all caught off guard when the wall to the captain's quarters were suddenly pierced by a large spike, and moments later air came pouring in, filling the room and lifting the ship.

"What the? Air?" Luffy mutters in confusion. The room is rapidly filled air, so much so that Luffy gets the idea that it's alright for them to remove their suits. So, when their Captain does so do the rest of them, setting them down in close proximty just in case. "See? Told you we didn't need them anymore."

"It's amazing they pumped in this much air," says Zoro.

"Haaah...we should probably be more concerned about who's trying to salvage this ship," Run adds.

"Something has got to be wrong," Sanji tells them. "I've been trying to contact Nami and Robin but no one is answering." One of the walls to their room is suddenly blown up, and a man who looks like a large monkey comes spilling in, yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Who the hell are you?!" demands the monkey. "You got some nerve invading my turf."

"Oh...it's a monkey," Luffy observes, pointing at him. Oddly enough, the man takes this as a compliment. Although, he appeared to be upset with them at first, he warmed up to them almost immediately after Luffy's 'compliment'. Luffy tells him all about the crew, where they're coming from and where they're going, while the man does the same. While Luffy and the monkey are talking, the other take take a look around the ship...and in doing so find some things they'll believe will be of use.

Run shucks off his shirt quickly, stuffs some things in it and ties it off before heading back for Luffy. When they return Luffy and the monkey are sitting exactly where they left them...and Run notices that Zoro and Sanji have found some sacks to use somewhere. Ignoring it for a moment he approaches their Captain. "Look, I hate to interrupt, but maybe it's time we were going?" Run offers. "We got what we came for, after all."

"Aah, is that so? Well, I guess it's time we went then, monkey! See ya!"

"Wait a moment," says the monkey, looking at the full sacks. "Are you guys...salvaging this stuff in my turf...?!"

* * *

First the monkey appeared, then ship was eaten, and now it's dark in the middle of the day?! Just what is going on in this place?!

" **Luffy! Zoro! Sanji! Run! What is going on?!** " exclaims Usopp, holding his head. "What is going on with this weird place?!" As if his prayers were answered, Luffy is suddenly thrown out of the water and up onto the deck beside him. Nami immediately rushes over and begins slapping him, trying to wake him up. "Aah! Luffy!" Following immediately after him is Zoro, Sanji and Run, all three of whom jump up and land on the deck soaked in water and breathing heavy.

"Jeez, what was wrong with that monkey?!" Zoro complains.

"I don't even wanna think about it," Sanji adds.

"Let's just set sail and get outta here before he catches up," Run tells them, dropping his shirt to the deck.

"I'm so glad you guys are safe!" Usopp gushes. "Let's get away from that turtle now!"

"Turtle? I didn't see a turtle. But there was a monkey." They explain what happened to Usopp, who doesn't appear to them to quite grasp what they've just gone through to get what they had to down there.

"Yeah, his name is Masira. He's a salvager. But I'm amazed you got away from that turtles mouth."

"Turtle? What turtle?" All three follow his line of sight to the absolutely gigantic turtle floating behind them.

"Look at the size of that thing!" all three men bellow in response. However, what's beyond that is what attracts their attention. Three gigantic winged men, all of whom make the turtle look like nothing more than a grain of sand by comparison. "Let's get outta here!"

"Hold it right there!" bellows an angry voice, as the monkey comes leaping out of the water and landing on the railing. Ignoring him completely, the whole crew goes for their paddles, and begins rowing as fast as they can in the opposite direction of the giant men and turtle. They don't stop until they're not even on the horizon anymore, and the day light as returned. When they finally stopped, everyone was exhausted, either lying on the lower deck or leaning against the railing.

"If it's not one thing it's another," Run complains, leaning against the Merry's railing. They all recalled everything that had happened. Almost getting crushed by the galleon, getting attacked by salvagers, the giant turtle and the even bigger winged men.

"Those things scared even me," Masira says, attracting their attention. Immediately Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Run kick the man off the ship and into the sky. After a small rest they set sail once again, this time sailing with a heading or destination other than the place called 'Skypiea'.

While they're sailing, Nami has them dump the contents of the sacks and Run's shirt out onto the deck. She picks through it, a look of irritation on her face the whole time before finally huffing and standing. "None of this stuff is useful!" Nami shouts. "Why did you even go into the water?"

"This is all we found," Zoro offers in their defense. "The place looked like it'd already been looted." Run snorts in response, and picks his shirt up off the deck. He slips it on, rolling the sleeves to his elbows and buttoning up several of the buttons.

"I didn't send you down there for loot, I send you down for information. What happened to their ship could easily happen to ours if we're unprepared! We needed a log book, or some kind of information! Not rusty swords, armor and plates!" Nami goes stomping up the stairs away from them, only to be stopped by Robin who holds something out to her. "What's this?"

"An Eternal Pose," Robin tells her. "I took it from the monkey's crew, just in case we needed it."

"Aah, Robin! You're the only one I can count on!" She looks at the Eternal Pose for a moment. "Jaya?"

"Are we going there?" Luffy questions her.

"That's _your_ decision, idiot!"

"Alright! Jaya, full rudder...!"

* * *

It was smooth sailing to Jaya, and after everything that had happened, it was welcome. Usopp was keeping a look out in the crows nest. Luffy and Chopper were relaxing at the bow of the Merry, with their Captain occupying his favorite seat. Nami, Robin, Zoro and Run were on the lower deck of the ship while Sanji was off doing something. While everyone was relaxing, a trio of sea-gulls suddenly came crashing down to the deck in front of Chopper and Luffy. "Aaah! They...They were shot!" Chopper screams, rushing over.

"Shot? Are you sure?" Usopp asks. "I didn't hear any gunshots."

"Look! Here's the bullet! Considering their direction, they were shot from the direction the ship is facing!" Everyone goes to the bow of the ship to listen to what Chopper is saying.

"Are you saying they were shot from an island we can't see, yet?" Nami questions him. "That's impossible, Chopper."

"But I was watching them the whole time!" While Chopper is convinced of this he can't seem to convince the rest of the crew, and so they go sailing on regardless. It isn't much more than a few hours before they finally find themselves in one of Jaya's ports. Nearly everyone seems to be over the moon as they stare at the town. Honestly, it does seem to resemble a kind of resort town.

"I wouldn't be so quick to assume," Run says, motioning to a number of ships anchored in port. "Those look like pirate ships to me."

"A-Ah, come on!" Nami says, slapping Run on his bicep. "How can pirate ships just drop anchor in a port like that?"

" **SOMEONE HELP! HE'S GONNA KILL ME!** " screams a man from the dock.

"Maybe you're right, Nami," Run mutters in response. When they've reached the dock and moored the ship, Luffy and Zoro immediately go jumping over board and walk into town with Nami chasing after them seconds later. Run heaves a sigh as he watches them go and then walks towards the railing, and leaps over to the dock himself. He might as well go for a stroll as well...this place seems rather interesting after all. He walks at his own pace, not really interested in much, there's nothing he needs, after all.

Although he appears to be unaware of his surroundings, he's sure to keep an eye open for trouble, and pick-pockets. When traveling with his father and his crew as a child, he never had to do that. Brave was the man that would even _approach_ them, let alone attempt to instigate trouble or steal from them. It's because he's keeping an eye on his surroundings that he notices he's being followed, and not by someone on the crew, either. After taking several random roads in the town with no sign of the shaking his tail he heaves a heavy sigh and stops in the middle of the street before turning.

It's easy to spot the person in the crowd, after all, he's the only one wearing such expensive looking clothing. He wear's a grey coat with a dark zip up shirt under it. Black pants and black boots cover his legs and feet. Apparently the man cuts quite striking figure, if the stares of the women passing by was any indication. Besides the sword hanging from his hip, he carries another katana in his right hand. "Haaah...something I can help you with?" Run questions him, reaching up to scratch the stubble on his jaw.

"That all you have to say after such a long time, Run?" the man counters, a single ebony brow rising over...the red iris. Run's eyes narrow in response, his stance widening slightly as he faces the man.

"Look, I haven't really got time for this."

"Relax. I'm not here to fight."

"Really? You come all the way from the New World and you expect me to believe it's not to pick a fight?" He chuckles in response, and slowly approaches. He raises the hand clutching the sword and Run tenses, ready to use Haki at any second.

"I'm telling you, I simply came to deliver something." He thrusts the sword out in offer to Run. "Here." The red head eyes it suspiciously for a moment before reaching out and taking it from him. Despite the fact that he's holding it the exact same place as the other man...the saya feels cool to the touch. Run is also curious as to why he's being given a katana of all things. He isn't particularly fond of them, after all. The man reaches into his jacket to retrieve a piece of paper which he holds out in front of him. He unfolds it, and then clears his throat.

"What is this?"

"Dear Son!" exclaims the man, voice loud enough to rattle the windows and wake the dead. "My apologies, I'm reading it like he asked me to. Ahem, 'Happy Birthday, from me and the whole crew! Sorry I could be there to wish it in person but I'm dealing with something at the moment! So, I sent Fawkes to deliver your present!' That's all he wrote." Run pinches the bridge of his nose in response, ignoring the stares of those surrounding the two of them. Only his father... _only_ his father would do something like this.

Never mind that _he_ had forgotten his _own_ birthday, how did the old man manage to rope someone else in doing this for him? And of all the people he _could_ have asked to do it, why did he have to send Fawkes? Considering the old man _knows_ they've fought like cat's and dog's in the past, why send _him_ of all people?

"The old man sent you, huh?" Fawkes nods and folds the note up before tucking it back into his jacket. "How, exactly, did he get _you_ involved?"

"I was promised a sparring match." The red head tenses again but Fawkes only smirks. "With HIM, not you. Getting anything from _you_ is like pulling teeth."

"It wouldn't be a problem if you didn't take them so seriously." Run pauses for a moment, his eyes knitting together. "Wait...how did you even find me?" Fawkes reaches into his pocket again and holds up a small square of paper for him to see.

"Shanks lent your other half of the Vivre Card. Strangely, it seemed intent on taking me into a women's apparel store."

"Yeah...I gave a piece to someone else."

"Your father mentioned that. He told me to tell you that he's received your letters, and asked me to give you this. And one more regarding the sword, that he said you should read immediately." Again he reaches into his jacket, and this time turns over two sealed letter to the red head. "He said, he hopes it will help clear things up." Run nods in understanding, and takes the letter.

"Yeah, thanks, Fawkes."

"No need to thank me. As I said, I'm only doing this because I was promised something in return." Run actually chuckles in response. Fawkes is nothing if not pragmatic, he's known that for as long as he's known him.

"How did Mihawk take your running off? I'm sure he'll be upset with you neglecting your training to come here."

"Considering the circumstances, I believe that my Father will understand. Now, then, I've delivered the letters, and the sword...I'll take my leave, now." Fawkes turns away from him calmly but only takes a few steps before Run calls out.

"Oi, running off already?"

"Oh?" Fawkes grunts, turning to face him again. "Did you need something, Run?"

"Well, you came all the way across the Grand Line. The least I can do is buy you a drink..."


	25. Noland the Liar, and Montblanc Cricket!

Run walks silently through the town's streets back towards the docks, and the Merry. A drink with Fawkes had turned into several before either of them knew what had happened. Fortunately, Fawkes took it upon himself to end their drinking, and after paying their tab, they said their goodbyes and that was it. It was certainly a far cry for their last meeting which ended with both of them bloody and bruised before Luffy and Ace could separate the two of them. Fawkes had come all the way from the New World seeking a 'sparring' match while he was still living in Foosha Village, and Run recalls it as probably the closest he's ever come to dying.

"Haaah...at least he didn't come for a fight," Run mutters.

"Who didn't come for a fight?" asks a familiar voice, causing him to stop in the middle of the street. He turns around with a smile to face Robin. Her new outfit is certainly...appealing. She's wearing a purple jacket that reveals her toned stomach, skin tight purple pants and a pair of boots. It's completed with a purple cow-girl hat. Even if he wasn't so openly admiring her, she would have noticed his eyes devouring her form. She slowly stalks forward, hips swaying to and fro, and reaches a hand out. With a single finger-tip, she lifts the red head's chin, closing his mouth. "I guess I don't have to ask you what you think then."

"Yeah," Run drawls, brazenly looking her up and down again much to her enjoyment. "I gotta say, the cow-girl look?" Run pauses, reaches out with his free hand and plucks the hat off her head to deposit it on his own. "It's really doing it for me."

"You know, I think purple might just be your color." Run chuckles in response, and then holds her hat back out in offer. She takes it back, and places it back on her head before they begin walking back to the Merry side by side.

"I guess I don't have to ask what you've been up to, huh?"

"Nami didn't seem to mind me borrowing her clothes but I felt it was time I stopped. So, I thought I should do some shopping while we were here." Run nods in understanding. "And, while I was out, I thought I would get you something, too." She holds a bag out in offer to him, which he takes without a second thought. "Now, then...I take it you did some shopping of your own."

"Aah, this? It's a gift from the old man, apparently."

"From Shanks?"

"Yeah." Run explains everything to her as they walk. From Shanks sending Fawkes to deliver the sword, as a birthday present as well as the two letters he's got folded and tucked into his back pocket. He can see she shows some confusion at the mention of Fawkes' name, and so he chuckles a bit. "Fawkes is Mihawks son." Robin's eyes widen in surprise. "What? Didn't know Mihawk has a son?"

"No. I had no idea."

"Well, I guess it's not that well known. As far as I know, he's spent most of his life training with Mihawk."

"So, Shanks sent him to deliver the sword...for your birthday." Run nods in the affirmative. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Aaah, well, in all the excitement lately, it kind of slipped my mind." Robin chuckles in response.

"Well, happy birthday, Run." The rest of their walk back to the Merry is made all the shorter by the two of them chatting about this and that. It takes only a few minutes to reach the Merry, and when they're within ear shot they're treated to Nami loudly complaining about something that happened in town.

"What's with you guys?!" Nami screams. "Are you men or not?! If someone provokes you, then you should just go ahead and beat them up!"

"Haaaah...sounds like Nami's in a good mood," Run mutters, walking around the dock towards the gangplank connecting the ship to the pier. They take the plank up to the deck, listening to Nami continue yelling at everyone the whole time.

"My, it's awfully lively up here," Robin says in way of greeting. "What's gotten you so upset, Miss Navigator?"

"Aaah! Robin! Welcome back!" Sanji gushes. "Would you like something to eat? Or perhaps I should draw you a bath?" Zoro is the first to notice what Run is clutching in his hand, and his attention immediately focuses on the blade.

"Oi, Red, where'd you get that sword from?" Zoro asks, staring pointedly at the weapon from his position on the upper deck.

"Aaah, well, it's a birthday gift from my old man," Run says matter-of-factly. Upon hearing this the whole crew goes quiet enough to hear a pin drop. It ends, however, when Luffy suddenly leaps up onto the railing, holding his hat firmly against his head.

"Shanks is here?!" Luffy screams in question, grinning wildly.

"No, Luffy. It's...let me explain." Just like with Robin, Run explains everything that happened. When he's finished with his short story everyone but Luffy and Robin are left staring in shock. None of them would have imagined that Mihawk, the greatest swordsman in the world, had a child.

"So, Mihawk has a son?" a stunned Zoro mutters. Of course, it only takes him a moment to come to terms with it, and a smirk suddenly appears on his face. "So, he has a son. Alright, then that's just one more person I have to step over, then." The swordsman is silent for a few moments before motioning to Run's sword once again. "Anyway, about that sword. I'm sure you know but-"

"Yeah, it's a Kitetsu. One of three cursed swords." Run reaches into his back pocket and produces a folded letter. "The old man explained everything in this letter. Although, even if he hadn't I could tell that the moment I laid hands on it." He sighs and raises the weapon slightly to examine it. "Unfortunately, he didn't explain exactly WHY he pawned this unlucky thing off on me."

"A Kitetsu?"

"Yeah, he said it picked it up a long time ago, but never used it because of the curse." He continues to stare at the katana. "Nidai Kitetsu."

"Nidai? Oi, oi, are you serious?" Honestly, it's a rather unassuming form for such a notorious Meito to take. The tsuka of the blade is wrapped with dark red silk with a black kashira and square, equally black tsuba. It has some rather ornate carvings of what appears to be falling cherry blossoms on the tsuba, and the kashira bears the tree they're 'falling' from. These blossoms aren't spared on the sword's kojiri, either. A white sageo stands in stark contrast to the ebony wood of the saya, and lends the weapon some much needed color.

Run drops the bag in his hand, and then grips the weapons tsuka, a perverse shiver racing through his body as he exposes several inches of the silver blade to the sky. It's hamon rolls in waves down the exposed blade with, oddly enough, a slightly pink hue to it.

Any swordsman worth the name can get a feel for his blades 'temperament', and this Kitetsu was certainly going to give him trouble...in more ways than one, if he was a man who believed himself to be lesser than it's curse. Just that simple motion was enough to rouse a sleeping blood-lust within him. His grip tightens, his eyes narrow...just this much was enough to make him start itching for a fight. There is no doubt in his mind that the weapon is razor sharp, and extreamly durible.

"Haaah...talk about a foul temperament." A soft 'click!' sounds as he shoves the blade back into the saya. "Anyway, I don't suppose you found out anything about Skypiea?" Nami immediately begins complaining, her foul mood having not improved in the slightest.

"Here, Captain," Robin says, a map suddenly appearing in one of her disembodied arms that sprouted from the railing at the upper deck.

"Ohh, a treasure map," Luffy says, taking it from the arm and paying it no mind as it disappears. She explains that it's a map of the island, and that the 'X' marked on the map is the location of a man who doesn't exactly 'fit in'. Robin tells them the man's name is 'Montblanc Cricket', a man who constantly spoke about his dreams and so was forced out of a town where no one dares to dream...

* * *

After Robin had given them the map, they immediately set sail for the home of Montblanc Cricket. While they did, Run went down into the men's sleeping quarters, and momentarily threw the bag containing Robin's gift onto his hammock. Run is then left with a decision to make, as he stares again at the sword. He's always been more comfortable with a saber than a katana. He'd only ever learned sword fighting with a saber. It is Shanks preferred type of sword, after all. Even so...does he carry it with him? Or would it be better to leave it here on the Merry?

Aside from being disrespectful to both Shanks and Fawkes, it's disrespectful to a sword like this to just let it sit and gather dust. It gazes at the blade intently for several long moments before firmly nodding. In a flurry of motion, he secures the weapon firmly to his belt at his right hip, having resolved to both carry and master the gift his father has given him. After he'd decided that he turns his attention to the bag Robin had given him, and digs inside it only to pull out a dark navy colored shirt moments later.

He chuckles a bit, shucks off the one he's wearing, and tosses it into his hammock before slipping the new one on. He buttons a few buttons, and rolls the sleeves before climbing back out onto the deck with the rest of the crew. Unfortunately, rather than finding them sailing on, he instead finds that they're stopped in front of a much larger vessel while Luffy talks with a strange looking, long haired man. While he's come into the conversation in the middle of it, the man seems to prattle on about Crocodile's defeat and how he'll fill the empty position.

"Eh? So you want to be a one of the Seven Warlords?" Luffy questions him.

"Naturally. But the best part about me is that I haven't cut my hair in all the twenty-five years of my life."

"Aah...that's kinda dumb. Can you move aside? We're trying to get through."

"First you insult me and then you demand I move?! This is MY part of the sea, if you want to pass you've got to pay the toll!"

"Oi, oi...you know, that guy is talking a lot like Masira," Usopp suddenly points out.

"Masira?! What about Masira?!"

"We kicked him off the ship," Run tells him bluntly.

"K-Kicked?! You kicked him?! This is revenge! I'll talk revenge for my brother!" Before they can explain further the man produces a microphone, and strikes a pose. "Havoc Sonar!" He begins wailing like a banshee at the top of his lungs into the microphone. They watch as the man's own ship begins splintering and cracking.

"Is he really destroying his own ship?"

"It's amazing!" Luffy gushes, grinning. "Destroying his own ship with just screaming!" While some of them are content just to stand and watch, Nami quickly urges them to set the sails and begin bypassing the ship in their way. Which proves to be a good idea when the sound waves reach their ship, and begin destroying IT as well. "Aaah! He's destroying the ship!"

"We need to leave!" With haste they set sail at full speed, moving as quickly as possible to get out of range of the sonar attack...

* * *

After making their escape they sail around the island towards the home of Montblanc Cricket. They spend most of their time repairing the Merry, listening to Usopp's complaining the whole while. Run drives nail after nail, attempting to patch the ship as best he's able...but he's no shipwright and the damage is wracking up quickly. "We need to find a shipwright quickly," Run mutters setting the hammer down in the tool box and standing. "There's no two ways about it."

With the repairs finished, they gather on the upper deck at the bow of the Merry. "We're almost there," Nami says. "What is the man's name, again?"

"Montblanc Cricket," Robin tells them. When the man's 'house' comes into view, Luffy and Usopp are amazed by the sheer size of it. Unfortunately, they're disappointed when Zoro urges them to take a second look, and they discover that the gigantic 'mansion' is in fact nothing but a wooden cut out hiding the man's real home. Luffy stretches his arms out towards the shore, covering the distance with ease while the rest of the crew waits for the Merry to sail closer.

"So, what kind of dreams did he talk about that got him thrown out?"

"I don't know the details but I heard he claimed a large amount of gold rests somewhere in Jaya."

"Is there some buried pirates treasure around here?"

"Well, who knows?" The Merry has barely reached the shore before Nami has cleared the railing and has Chopper digging up the ground with his antlers. They drop the anchor and then disembark the ship, all of them spreading out to have a look around. Luffy wastes no time in entering the man's home, calling out as he does.

"Luffy, even if it's unlocked you can't just go letting yourself in," Usopp tells him, following after him and actually ushering him out of the man's home.

"Aah, but how else are we going to talk to him?" Luffy questions, looking over his shoulder as their sniper as he pushes him back out the door and closes it behind them. "I had to know if he was home." Nami finds a book sitting on the man's hand table outside his home, and she begins reading it a loud to the crew. It's all about a man called 'Noland the Liar', and is apparently quite a well known fairy tale as Sanji immediately recognizes it as something widely published in the North Blue, where he originally comes from.

In the middle of the fairy tale, Run notices Luffy squatted down by the shore, staring into the ocean and slowly approaches.

"Oi, oi, Run!" Luffy calls, noticing the red head. "Look! Bubbles!"

"Haaah...I see that," Run says, squatting down beside him.

"What do you think it is?"

"Dunno." Luffy continues staring at them seriously, as if considering something and Run heaves a heavy sigh. "Alright, stand back." Run leans forward and reaches a hand out towards the surface. He's barely moved before a hand suddenly shoots out from below the surface and grasps his wrist. "What the fu-"

" **AAAHHH! SOMETHING'S GOT RUN!** " Luffy bellows, pointing at the hand and drowning out Run's cursing. Everyone's attention immediately turns to the two of them, the story and book falling by the way side. It pulls sharping, nearly taking the red head in before he can firmly plant a hand on the ground and stop himself fast. He grips the person's wrist tightly, the color vanishing from the hand before he yanks back in response. The person is hauled up out of the water, and goes sailing through the air to land on his back like a fresh caught fish. "It's a person!"

The man suddenly rolls onto all fours before sprinting to his feet. He begins gently rubbing his wrist while staring daggers at all of them.

"Who the hell are you?!" demands the man. "You've got a lot of guts relaxing at someone's home without their permission!"

"You're one to talk," Run counters. "Trying to drown someone your idea of hospitality?"

"The sea around this area is my turf! You expect me to welcome thieves trying to steal my gold?! Just die!" The two rush each other quickly with the man thrusting his palm out towards the red head's chest the moment he's within range. Run simply side steps the attack, knee raising towards the man's stomach.

"Sea King's Sw-" Before he can finish he finds himself face to face with the barrel of a pistol. His grey eyes widen in surprise as the shot goes off...and if not for his quick reflexes he'd have taken the bullet right to the head.

" **RUN!** " everyone exclaims, watching the cloud of gun smoke clear to reveal their unharmed First Mate. The way his head is leaned back it's amazing he didn't strain or break his neck. There's a flash of silver moments later as Run draws his sword, aiming for the weapon and actually cutting through it with a single stroke. Both men pace back from each other, staring daggers at each other.

"That was pretty close." The man tosses the now useless weapon aside and reassumes his stance...only to collapse into a heap in front of him. "Haaaah...really...?"

* * *

After gathering the man up, who they discovered was in fact Montblanc Cricket, they carry inside and lie him down on his bed. Chopper examines him while he's unconscious, and tells them that he's suffering from Caisson Disease, which is more commonly known as decompression sickness. It's a result of surfacing too quickly, and not allowing the nitrogen bubbles that formed in his blood stream to dissipate. Normally, it wouldn't be too much of a problem but it seems that the man has been diving again and again without allowing the sickness to go away and now he's running the risk of dying from it.

"Is he going to be alright now?" Run asks, standing beside the bed with arms crossed.

"He should be fine when he wakes up," Chopper assures them. "We just have to wait." They intend to just wait quietly for the man to awaken...that plan falls through, however, when the door to his home is suddenly thrown wide open and two _very_ familiar monkey-faced men shove their way in.

"Old man, what's going on?! Is everything alright?!" demands the two. Upon noticing the whole crew gathered they immediately question them; demanding to know what they did to Cricket.

"Aah, we're taking care of him," Luffy tells them. The truth it may be but the rest of the crew is absolutely sure that they'll never believe them...at least until they break out in tears.

"You're so kind!" When the two started crying, Chopper immediately ran them all out of the house to make sure that his 'patient' had some peace and quiet while he was resting. While the two are calm, Luffy takes the opportunity to strike up a conversation with them.

"So, you two live here?" Luffy asks.

"Aah, well, the old guy's house is the headquarters of the Saruyama Alliance, after all," Masira explains. "But we usually sleep on our ships cause his house is too small." While the three are laughing and chattering on Zoro, Usopp and Run are standing next to Cricket's house, watching them.

"How can he get along with them so well?" Usopp mutters.

"Probably cause they've got a lot in common," Zoro reasons. The door to the house is thrown open several minutes later and Chopper comes storming out shouting that Cricket has finally woken up. They all immediately gather inside his home, finding the man sitting cross-legged on his bed, a cigarette in his mouth.

"Oi, oi, old guy!" Luffy says quickly in way of greeting. "We wanna ask you a question!"

"Aah, yeah," Cricket replies, taking a long drag on his cigarette. "Sorry for causing you trouble. I just thought you were more idiots after the gold." The mere mention of gold was enough to excite their navigator, although they ignored her for the moment to focus more on the task at hand.

"We wanna get to the sky island! Tell us how to get there!" Rather than a helpful response, Cricket suddenly breaks out into laughter. "Oi, Oi..."

"You guys believe in sky island?"

"Are you saying it doesn't exist?!"

"Aah, who knows? I know of someone who once said it did. But people now call him a legendary liar. His family became a laughing stock forever. It's an old North Blue tale that almost everyone from there knows...Noland the Liar."

"You know, come to think of it, his full name was actually Montblanc Noland...could he be your relative?" Cricket sighs heavily, and then nods in the affirmative. He explains that the man is a VERY distant relative of his from far back in the family. He also tells them that although the family was driven out of their country and have kept a low profile since, they're still denounced as a liar's family. Even so, Noland died believing in what he found, and no one could convince him otherwise.

"Aah! I get it!" Usopp exclaims. "You're looking for the city on the sea bed so you can clear the family name and prove to everyone that Noland wasn't a liar!"

"Don't be an idiot!" Cricket yells, pointing his cut in half pistol at the man...which is not very intimidating to any of them. "Whether or not the man was a liar, or even a great explorer has _nothing_ to do with me! Can you even begin to understand how a child would feel being laughed at by strangers just because he's the descendant of such an idiot?!" After several tense moments of silence he finally lowers the ruined pistol. "This has nothing to do with that. At the end of the day I could care less about any of it. I'm not doing this to prove the man's innocence...this is a duel. A duel between the man who threw a wrench in my life, and me."

"And those two out there?" Run asks, motioning with his chin towards the door and the two captain's outside it.

"They're fans of the story. They joined because they believe the gold exists. They do as they please without any regard for how I feel. Honestly, simple minded idiots like them...make me feel relieved."

"Well, putting that story aside...I wanna go to sky island, old guy!" Luffy bellows. "So tell us how!" Cricket heaves a heavy sigh in response, and then reaches over to pull a book from the many gathered in a row in front of the window. He tosses it to Nami, instructing her to read a passage from it. She reads from the log book, Noland's log book, and it appears to be an entry regarding something called a 'waver' that can generate wind to move on days where there isn't any. But it was what she read after that that really got their attention.

"'Speaking of sky island, one of my good friends showed me a live 'sky-fish'. It looked very different from anything I've seen before! Though, it's still an unknown area to the crew and myself, I hope to one day visit this sea in the sky!'" Nami reads a loud.

"It's just like Robin said! I wanna go there so bad now..!"

* * *

After all the excitement had finally died down somewhat, Cricket called them outside and sat them down around his small table. He told them that if they were all that set on trying to find the place, then he was going to help. He was going to explain everything he knew about sky island, although, it was little more than speculation, and it was up to them whether or not to believe it. He starts by explaining the strange phenomenon that occasionally happens around these waters...something they had already experienced first hand.

"The sky will suddenly turn dark, as if it's the middle of the night," Cricket tells them. "This sudden night fall is caused by dense clouds called 'cumuloregalis clouds'. They produce no wind and no rain. When they gather, it's enough to block out all the sunlight. One theory is that these are actually fossilized clouds that have been in the sky for thousands of years. So...if a sky island does exist, it must be on those clouds." Naturally, Luffy is chomping at the bit to go and find those clouds.

"Alright, let's go!" Luffy bellows, standing from the table and turning to face Zoro and Run. The two are sitting back to back, cross-legged and leaning against each other in silence. "Zoro! Run! Let's go find those clouds!" The two slowly stand, stretching and brushing themselves off. Unfortunately, Nami has to 'gently' remind Luffy to stay on task.

"Now comes the real problem...the Knock Up Stream! It's a current that propels air, and anything else caught up in it straight up into the sky! Using it, you could potentially reach those clouds." He pauses for a moment, letting this sink in. "However...if everything I've just told you turns out to be wrong, then the only out-come is that you'd fall back down to your deaths. You'd have to put your lives on the line to do this!" Naturally, Usopp is immediately against going to this island and riding this strange stream.

"Well, let's go then!"

"No risk, no reward, right?" Run agrees, grinning in response.

"Don't get ahead of yourselves," Cricket retorts. "Even a ship in mint condition wouldn't stand a chance if it were caught up in the Knock Up Stream. Your ship would be torn apart in an instant." He stops to take a drag on his cigarette. "But, don't worry. I'll have Masira and Shojo help get you there. But only after we strengthen that ship of yours."

"We don't have that long," Nami tells them all. "The longest we can stay here is one more day before the Log Pose begins to reset."

"That's fine. The next Knock Up Stream will happen tomorrow afternoon." While everyone else is ready to go, Usopp immediately begins questioning the man. Why would he go out of his way to help people he's only just met? How can he be so sure it'll happen again so soon? He raises several valid arguments...that seem to fall on deaf ears. "You're right, it's not one hundred percent certain...but it's your only chance, isn't it?" The door to Cricket's home is suddenly thrown wide open, and Sanji comes jumping out to announce dinner is ready. "Let's go. Take it easy at my place and have some food."

While everyone else follows the man back into his home, Usopp and Run remain behind. The red head watches their sharp-shooter sink to his knees slowly, and approaches to stand beside him, arms crossed.

"Run...can I ask you something?" Usopp ventures, earning a nod in response. "Am I really...that miserable and cowardly?"

"Haaah...you know, taking the first step into the unknown is always frightening," Run tells him simply. "But..." He reaches down and places a hand on Usopp's shoulder. "...that's what it means to be a brave warrior of the sea, Usopp." After several long moments Usopp begins sniffling and then nods firmly in agreement before standing and rushing off towards the house with Run following. The dinner grows into a party within seconds of everyone getting inside Cricket's house.

It's all a blur of food, drinks, laughter and chatter. Usopp spends time teasing and then pranking Masira by making him eat one of his Tabasco bombs, Cricket is drinking and calling for Nami to sit by him with Sanji attempts to ward him off. Zoro, Shojo and Run spend their time drinking together. While it's nothing new to Luffy or Zoro, Shojo is surprised by just how high the red head's alcohol tolerance is. He seems to drink it like water, honestly. He also isn't prepared for the change in the man's personality when he's got a few drinks in him.

"Dahahahah! This is some pretty good stuff!" Run laughs, slamming his empty mug down on the ground in front of him. Across the room, sitting quietly in a corner Robin watches him with a small smile. When he starts partying in earnest, the similarities between himself and Shanks are plain as day to see. He even laughs the same. In the middle of pouring himself another drink, Run notices her looking and grins from ear to ear before jumping up and walking over. "Robin! Don't just sit in the corner! Come on! It's a party! Drink! Drink!" Before she can utter even a single word for or against this he's grabbed her hand and is pulling her to her feet.

Even though his face is flushed from the alcohol, and he's clearly had a bit too much to drink, his grip is still gentle if firm as he pulls her up. "Alright, alright," Robin concedes, standing quickly with his help. When he turns he finds himself suddenly face to face with Cricket.

"I saw gold in the skull's right eye," Cricket says seriously. "That tear stained sentence was the last thing Noland wrote on the day he was executed. Even now, those words make no sense to me. That's why we dive! That's the dream we chase!"

"To dreams, then!" Run exclaims, raising his mug high towards the man. "And to those that dare to have them!"

"Yeah! To dreams and dreamers!" Everyone raises a toast, the party resuming the next moment. Cricket continued talking to them about strange birds and the like while everyone sits in a circle around the food and drinks. Run shows no sign of slowing down, and even takes to teasing Chopper much like he was teased as a child. When the little reindeer attempts to pour himself a drink rather than allow him to take the mug, he picks it up himself.

"Hey, I can drink too!" Chopper protests, reaching for the mug. "I'm a pirate, after all!"

"Dahahahah! A pirate you say?" Run asks. "Then here! Try this!"

"Ohh! Juice!"

"See! What kind of pirate drinks grape juice?" Chopper immediately begins yelling at the red head who only laughs louder in response, actually reaching out to pat him on the head. "I'm just teasing, Chopper! You _are_ a real pirate, ya know!"

"O-Of course I am, dumbass! I-I don't need you to...pat me on the head, dumbass! It doesn't make me happy to hear that at all!"

"Alright, stop teasing Chopper," Robin chastises him, pouring herself a drink. Cricket surprises them all by suddenly producing several golden bells and placing them in front of them. He explains that he'd recovered them from the sea floor during several of his dives. Cricket tells them that they aren't the bells he was talking about but actually bell shaped ingots.

"Ingots," Luffy echos. "So that means there was a city after all."

"No, you could find that much gold in any old ruin," Shojo counters.

"But it does prove that a civilization in this area," Robin asserts. "Ingots are made to have a standardized weight. Which means they were used for trade."

"Exactly," Cricket continues, producing a solid gold bird statue. "The strange bird calls I mentioned belonged to this. It's called a South Bird, and they still exist on the island today. They've been used by sailors for...oh, shit! We need to go into the southern forest now! Right now!" Cricket tells them that the Knock Up Stream is directly south of the cape, and that they'll have no way of knowing which way is south once they're on the ocean. Compasses don't work on the Grand Line, after all.

The reason they need the bird as that no matter what, it'll always show them the right direction...

* * *

"Aaaahh!" Run sighs, lowering the bottle and wiping his mouth with the back of his wrist. "This stuff sure is good. Sure you don't want some, Zoro?"

"I'll pass, Red," Zoro tells him.

"Suit yourself, then." There's a soft 'click' as Run shoves Kitetsu back into it's saya, and two halves of a gigantic centipede drops to the ground on either side of their path.

"Are you sure you should be drinking while using your sword?" Robin questions him, stepping over one half of the centipede. The red head shrugs his shoulders in response as they continue walking down the path. After leaving the party they'd split up into groups to search for the bird. The bird's strange calls echos through the forest and Robin turns in it's direction. "This way." Without waiting for them she goes running off into the darkness. The take off after her, the strange call continuing to echo through the forest.

Each call of the bird seemed to come with some...strange reaction from the forest. Every call seemed to result in a small army of insects getting in their way, which slowed them down somewhat as Zoro and Run had to stop to beat them back each time.

"I can hear the call, but it doesn't feel like we're getting any closer," Robin says, watching them sweep the bugs aside. Eventually Robin, Zoro and Run regrouped with the others, who seemed to be having the same problems as they had. Fortunately, though, Luffy and Chopper had at least seen the bird they were after. Usopp began complaining about how they couldn't catch one, even with all of them running about.

"You're included in that too," Sanji retorts.

"Aaah! There!" Luffy suddenly says, pointing up towards one of the tree's and a strange bird perched in it's branches.

"It says, 'You're never gonna catch me,'" Chopper tells them, translating it's calls. In the middle of it's gloating, however, arms suddenly sprout from it, wrapping it up and sending it falling out of the tree.

"There," Robin announces. "It's easy to catch if I can see one." With the bird caught, they all quickly make their way out of the forest and back towards Cricket's home...only to find the place completely trashed. And not just his home, either! Cricket, Masira, Shojo and even the Merry are completely beaten and broken!

"Old guy! What happened?!" Luffy demands, rushing to Cricket's side.

"Sorry," Cricket responds. "I'm truly sorry. There was nothing we could do! But...But we can still strengthen the ship before sunrise!" He slowly leans up, breathing heavily. "No matter what! The three of us can do it!" Nami, who had been sifting through the ruins of his house, suddenly comes running back to them.

"It's gone!" Nami cries. "His gold is gone!"

"Don't worry about it."

"What do you mean?!" Usopp demands. "You spent ten years diving for that gold!"

"I said don't worry about it! It's not your problem! So...even if the gold is gone, don't worry about it. If the Saruyama works on it, then we can definitely reinforce and repair your ship! No matter what, there won't be any problem with your departure tomorrow." Zoro walks over to what is left standing of Cricket's home, and stares intently at one of the walls. So intently, in fact, that Run walks over to have a look as well.

"What is it, Zoro?" Run asks, staring at the symbol painted on the standing wall.

"Oi, Luffy," Zoro calls, turning to look back at them. "Look at this. It's Bellamy's mark, right?" Luffy growls and stands slowly. "Want help?"

"No, I'll take care of it myself," Luffy tells them.

"Don't be an idiot, Luffy!" Nami complains. "We set sail in three hours! We don't have time!"

"Oi, Robin, if I run along the coast I can make it there?"

"You can," Robin confirms.

"Alright! I'll be back by dawn...!"


	26. Onward to the Sky! Criminals Already!

Hello~! This one is gonna be another long one to kind of make up for the shortish chapters I've been posting lately! I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it! If you do, don't forget to leave a review or favorite to let me know! Without further ado, here it is!

* * *

"Where is he?!" Nami demands, pacing back and forth. "We're going to miss the Knock Up Stream at this rate!" Everyone is gathered around, waiting for Luffy's return from Mock Town. For hours after he left things had immediately spun into an organized chaos of sorts. True to his word, Cricket had succeeded in both repairing and reinforcing the Merry for their coming trip up the Knock Up Stream. After everything was said and done the Merry was sporting several large 'wings' and had begun to resemble a chicken, rather than a ram.

"He'll be here," Run assures her. "Trust me."

"You keep saying that but he's already four-five minutes late!"

" **OOOOIIIII!** " bellows a familiar voice, drawing their attention to the coast. Running toward them at top speed is none other than Luffy, all grins while he holds a huge beetle out in front of him. " **GUYS! LOOK WHAT I CAUGHT ON THE WAY BACK!** "

"You were looking for a beetle?!"

"Aaah! Wow! Look at the ship! So cool!" Luffy gushes. The rest of the crew is a little less enthusiastic about the changes but they decide not to mention it after all the work that Cricket, Masira and Shojo have done. When Luffy has finally had enough of gawking at their improvements he turns and marches right over to Cricket. He slings the pack he's carrying around and drops it right on the table in front of the man before turning and walking back to the Merry. Everyone boards their ships, and they set sail heading south.

As they're sailing away from Cricket's home, Luffy run's to the stern of the Merry and waves at the man. "Thanks for the ship!"

"Don't take me, thank Masira and Shojo!" Cricket yells back. "And remember! No one has ever disproved the existence of the city of gold or of Sky Island! People may laugh and call it foolish logic, but who cares? It's enough for me! That's what romanticism is about, after all!"

"Yeah! See ya, old guy...!"

* * *

While sailing away from the island, Masira and Shojo took this time to explain what they were going to have to do. They began by confirming that, just as Cricket said, the Knock Up Stream changes location every time it goes off. So, they need to arrive before it actually does in order to properly locate it. Of course, rather than listen, Luffy takes this time to irritate the South Bird they've caught. Chopper even goes so far as to translate it's calling in which the bird tells them that it's going to intentionally mislead them...unfortunately for the bird, it's instict to face south wins out.

And, with nothing to do after they've finished their explanation, they can only try to keep themselves calm and relax. Several long hours of sailing pass before someone finally calls out about dark clouds on the horizon. "Boss! Night is coming from the southwest! Cumuloregalis Clouds!" calls a man from Masira's ship.

"That's sooner than expected!" Masira shouts. "We need to find the current quickly!" Shojo sends his divers into the water, and after several tense minutes they surface, calling for them to turn their ship hard to their ten o'clock! They change their heading, sailing hard in the direction of what the man has said is a gigantic whirlpool. The waves grow larger, and larger, and their ships pitch and roll violently this way and that along with them.

"We're gonna sink!" cries Usopp, holding onto the mast for his life.

"Keep pushing forward! It's a pre-explosion earth-quake! Get ready for it!"

"Miss Navigator! What does the Log Pose say?" Robin calls, holding onto the railing.

"It's pointing right at those clouds!" Nami tells them. Ahead, the whirlpool they're looking for finally appears, the swirling water pulling their ship towards it and the bottom of the sea. Masira and his crew suddenly toss grappling hooks onto the Merry, telling them that they'll tow their ship to the edge of the whirlpool. "And then what?"

"Just go with the flow," Masira laughs, grinning. "That's the only thing you can do if you want to make it to sky island!" A Sea King suddenly leaps from the water, swirling around and around the outside of the whirlpool before sucked back down into the ocean's depths. Upon seeing this, Usopp begins panicking immediately, begging for them to just stop what they're doing and turn back. Luffy, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be the least bit bothered, and instead waves good-bye to Masira and Shojo as they cut the ropes holding them together.

"Haaah...nothing we can do now," Run mutters, actually grinning. "Luffy...let's ride this thing out all the way!"

"Yeah! There's no way I can pass this up!" Luffy laughs. "If I did, I'd regret it for the rest of my life!" The Merry sails forward past the rim, tilting straight down towards the bottom...and suddenly striking nothing but sea, as the whirlpool disappears completely. "Huh? What the?"

"Oi, oi...what happened? Don't tell me we missed it."

"No," Nami murmurs, voice trembling. "It's just starting!" Hearing a loud voice carry across the now silent sea, all heads turn to find another ship sailing quickly in their direction.

"Hey, Zoro," Luffy chirps. "It's that guy from the town."

"I finally caught up with you!" calls the dark haired man. "I'm here to collect your bounties!" He thrusts his hand skyward, holding a trio of papers in them for all to see. "I'm here for all three of you!"

"Three?" Usopp produces a pair of binoculars, and points them at the man.

"Aaah, he's right," Usopp confirms. "There's new wanted posters. Zoro, you have one now, too!" Sanji goes leaping up to where he's at, asking their sniper to take a closer look. It seems he wants to make sure that there are only three, and not a forth hidden somewhere. "No...no, there is only three." Run can barely make out the wording at such distance but what he can see is that both his and Luffy's bounties have gone up quite a bit. Run's, like Luffy's, has raised up to one-hundred million...something Run finds to be quite respectable, while Zoro has picked up a bounty of sixty million.

"Yeaah!" laughs Luffy. "One hundred million! We're worth one hundred million, Run!"

"That's pretty respectable," Run agrees, laughing.

"Sixty million, huh?" chuckles Zoro. "That's a bit disappointing!"

"Hey, don't get distracted!" Shojo yells. "It's coming!" The sea begins bubbling, and raising under their ship. Sanji immediately calls for everyone to hold on or to get inside of the ship itself. The next second, they find themselves propelled skyward by a huge explosion, with Luffy laughing and cheering the whole time! In the middle of all this excitement, the Sea King that was swallowed by the whirlpool comes dropping out of the sky, missing the Merry by only a few meters.

"We've got a problem!" Sanji suddenly barks. "The ship...it's lifting! If it keeps going, we're going to fall!"

"We can't exactly do anything about it!" Run retorts.

"Lower the sails!" Nami screams. "We'll catch the up draft from the explosion!" With no other option, they do as they're told, and unfurl the sails...which propels them even faster skyward, and keeps the ship out of danger. Luffy's laughing and cheering doubles in volume as they actually 'fly' up towards the clouds, punching through the bottom. The thick cloud cover lasts only a few brief seconds before they break through, the wings of the ship sheering off in the process. When the crash down, everyone is sent sprawling across the deck, gasping for breath in the thin air.

"What the hell?" Zoro growls. "Is everyone alright?"

"Look, look!" Luffy barks, running to the rail of the Merry. "Clouds! We're sailing on the clouds!"

"We're sailing on clouds?! How?!" Nami screams, staring out at all the white clouds. She seems to process the whole situation quickly and slowly nods. "Basically...this whole place is like an ocean in the sky, then. That's why we can sail on them." She steals a quick glance at the Log Pose, and her brow furrows. "Look. The Log Pose is still pointing up."

"So, then, this must be the middle section of the clouds," Robin concludes.

"Then, we need to sail higher up," Run says simply. "If that makes any sense."

"How?" Nami questions him, and receives only a shrug of his shoulders in response.

"Alright, in lane number one, Captain Usopp!" Usopp suddenly announces, drawing their attention to their sniper crouching on the railing of the Merry. Without another word, he dives into the cloud sea, disappearing blow the swirling white surrounding them. Luffy and Chopper watch the spot he dove into with envy, neither one looking away as they wait for him to resurface.

"Oi, oi...he's been down an awfully long time," Zoro mutters.

"Hey," Robin begins. "Do you think...that this ocean has a bottom?"

"Aah," Run grunts, eyes raising in surprise. "Are you kidding me?!" Luffy jumps onto the railing and casts an arm down into the clouds, stretching it straight down after Usopp. Robin offered her assistance to them in the form of extra eyes along Luffy's stretched arm...and in no time at all they're pulling their sniper back up to the ship. "Good job." The red head spoke too soon, however, as strange creatures follow after Usopp. "Haaah...really?" Zoro makes quick work of a gigantic octopus like creature, slashing it and watching as it pops like a ballon while Sanji eliminates the second snake like creature.

"I can't believe things like these live in the clouds," Nami mutters, staring at the strange snake like creature.

"Perhaps it would be best to think of this as an ocean rather than clouds," Robin reasons. Usopp, who has been lying quietly on the deck suddenly comes to life, and begins digging into his pants before tossing out a strange looking fish. "He's certainly having a bad day."

"Well," Run begins, reaching down to pick up the rather toothy fish by it's tail. "Can't say that's not pretty accurate. Couldn't imagine that thing crawling around in my pants." Luffy snatches it out of his hands and then disappears with it, only to return with it cooked on a plate. "Looks good." Run takes piece of the fish from the plate while Nami yells at them for eating something unknown. Robin theorizes that the fish in this 'sea' evolved to better live in a place with such a low bouyancy, which is why they're so strange and balloon-like.

Chopper, who has been quiet the whole time, begins panicking out of the blue. While the crew attempts to calm him down and get him to make sense, the only thing that they can gather from his ranting is that something is coming their way. "Oi, look," Sanji calls, pointing to someone skating across the clouds in their direction. "Someone is coming! He's...skating on the clouds?" The strange man leaps in their direction. "Stop! What do you want?!"

"To eliminate you," retorts the man, kicking Sanji in the face and sending him smashing into the wall behind them. His next target is Zoro, and Run who he deals with in much the same way as Sanji. A single kick brings down the swordsman, before he hones in on Luffy. He seems to be completely weightless as he kicks Luffy, smashing their Captain into the deck hard enough to crack the planks. He leaps skywards afterwards, and then levels the cannon he's been toting around sqarely on the ship.

"Not so fast!" exclaims a man, suddenly dropping out of the sky and nearly skewering the masked man. Thankfully, it blows him away and only the armored man remains, now crouched on the railing of the ship.

"Oh, what now?!" Nami demands. "Who are you?"

"I am a Sky Knight." Luffy, Sanji, Zoro and Run slowly begin to come to with their breathing coming in short gasps.

"Damn...I feel like...I've just run a marathon," Run pants, sitting with his back against the main sail. Robin explains that it's the result of the air being much thinner up here. "Haaah...I see."

"Are you lot Blue Sea people?"

"Blue Sea?" Nami echos.

"It's a term for people who live beneath the clouds. So, did you come from the blue seas?"

"Yeah, we did." The man explains that they're currently in a place called the White Sea, which is seven thousand meters above the blue sea. Above them is another sea called the White-White Sea which is ten thousand meters above the sea below. He tells them that normally blue sea people can't endure these kinds of heights. He's surprised when Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Run stand on the deck, apparently feeling much better. "That's all well and good but who are you?"

"I'm a mercenary. Blue Sea people like yourselves generally have trouble up here...but if you're willing to hire me for five million Extol, then I'll take care of you." Everyone on the crew draws a blank at the mention of 'Extol' but they all assume it must be the currency of this place, which the sky knight confirms. "You must have passed an island or two on the way here, right? You came here from the High-West summit, didn't you?"

"Wait, there are other ways to get here?"

"Of course. Wait...don't tell me you all rode the Knock Up Stream here?" They all nod in the affirmative and the man's eyes widen in response. "My word, so there really are still people gutsy enough to ride that monstrous current?" The man explains that if they had taken any other way, all or most of them would have died in the attempt. However, the Knock Up Stream is a sort of all nothing bet in which the crew would either all survive or all die. "Well, I suppose that's the gamble involved." He surprises them by tossing a whistle onto the deck in front of them. "Here, take this as my gift for your bravery. Normally, I charge for the whistle...but I'll cut you a break this time. If you're ever in trouble, just blow that and I'll be there."

With that, he turns towards his strange mount. "Wait, we still don't know your name!"

"Aah, I am Gan Fall, the Sky Knight! And this is my partner, Pierre!" He goes onto explain that his mount had eaten the Horse-Horse Fruit, and gained the ability to turn into a winged horse which it demonstrates...much to their disappointment, as it's a rather lack-luster and strange transformation. The man takes off into the sky, disappearing into the clouds and leaving them to find their own way. They scanned the surrounding area, and the only sort of land mark they find it a strange 'water-fall' in the distance. With nothing else to go on, they sail for it. They're forced to cut a strange path through the clouds, dodging dense clouds that are strong enough to support their weight...as Luffy figures out.

When they finally make it to the base of the water-fall, they find a large gate awaiting them. "Look at that," Sanji mutters. "'Heaven's Gate'."

"That sounds really unlucky," Usopp adds. "Like we're on our way to die!"

"Who knows, maybe we're already dead," Zoro taunts, smirking.

"It would explain a few things," Run agrees, the two of them watching their sniper, and even Chopper panic in response. Nami immediately silences the two with sharp blows to their heads, raising small knots as they sail forward to the gate. As they near the gate, they watch as an old woman some walking through one of the man sets of double-doors and begins snapping photos of them.

"Wings! She's got wings!" yells Chopper, eyes wide as he stares at her.

"I am Amazon, the Heaven's Gate inspector," she tells them. "It's a one billion Extol fee per person to pass. It's the law. Eight people...that's eight billion Extol to enter."

"Haaah...that's one hell of a cover charge," Run calls back. "Sounds like extor-" Nami immediately clamps a hand over the red head's mouth, a sheepish smile on her face as she explains that they don't have that kind of money just lying around.

"That's fine. You can pass." Run pries her hand off his mouth and approaches the rail.

"So, what's the catch?"

"No catch. You can pass. Or you can not. It's your choice." They stare at the woman in confusion. "I am neither a gate keeper, nor a guard. I'm simply here to tell you the fee. The choice is yours."

"We're going then!" Luffy chirps, grinning. "So, how do we get up there?" From out of the clouds, a huge pair of claws suddenly raise and clamp onto the sides of the Merry. "What the?" Without a pause, it suddenly pulls them towards the water fall, and they begin rocketing straight up it. "Whoo-hooo!" Everyone holds on tight to the Merry as they're pulled up the winding water-fall high and higher still with no sign of slowing down. "Ohh! Look, look! It's a sign! It's...Skypiea!" They've barely passed the sign before they reach the top, and go flying skyward before crashing down into more cloud like sea. "An island! It's an island!"

They sail forward towards the island with Luffy barely holding himself back the closer they get. They've barely made it to the shore before Luffy suddenly leaps off the ship, and goes running through the shallows and onto the beach. Usopp and Chopper are the next to follow while Zoro and Run drop the anchor to make sure that the Merry doesn't float off. After a change of clothes Nami follows, and then Sanji and Zoro.

"Aren't you going, too?" Robin asks Run, noticing the red head leaning against the rail of the Merry.

"Yeah, I was just waiting for you," Run tells her, noticing her change of clothes. Robin walks over, and stops at his side to stare out across the beach. "You know, I wrote to the old man about you." Robin turns to look at him, finding him holding a folded letter between thumb and index finger. "He pretty much only told me to 'properly take care of your girlfriend' and not to do anything he wouldn't." He tucks it into his back pocket again. "That's just like him, honestly." Robin giggles lightly in response.

"I'll make sure to keep that in mind, then. Now...let's go ashore." The two leap the railing, and go walking ashore. Everyone seems to love experiencing the new sights and sounds to be found here in Skypiea. Luffy is busy trying to crack open some strange fruit while Usopp and Chopper are playing in the sand, and Sanji is running around on shore collecting flowers that he no doubt intends to bring to Nami and Robin. "Everything is really soft here."

"Really?" Run slips his geta off and steps onto the beach barefoot. "Huh. Yeah, it is. I wonder what the difference between these clouds and the other one's is." The musical sound of a harp reaches their ears, and all heads turn to find a winged woman standing several meters away on top of a large boulder like cloud.

"An Angel!" Sanji yells. "It's an angel!" At his shouting, the woman stops her harp playing and finally takes notice of them.

"Heso," she says, offering them a kind smile as she climbs down and approaches. "Did you come from the Blue Sea?" A small furry creature sneaks between Run's legs, brushing against one of them as it goes walking quickly towards the woman.

"Yeah, we flew up here from below," Luffy confirms. "Do you live here?"

"Yes, I do. Welcome to Skypiea's Angel Beach." She notices the fruit that Luffy has tucked under his arm, and offers to help him crack it open. She takes it, turns it upside down and cuts a small hole in it, all while explaining that it's almost impossible to open any other way. Luffy seems beside himself with the delicious taste of the juice inside, and Usopp takes a sip to confirm as well. "My name is Conis. And this-" She bends to retrieve the small creature. "-is Su, a cloud fox. If I can be of help in any way, please let me know."

"Oi, we've got something coming this way," Zoro tells them, motioning to the cloud sea.

"Oh, that's my father. Heso, father!"

"Hey, what's that thing he's riding on?" Nami questions her.

"That's a waver." The man calls out that he's going to stop...but instead comes crashing into the beach and then right into a tree.

"Hey, isn't that one of the things you guys fished from the sea bed?"

"Aah, now that you mention it, yeah," Luffy agrees, still drinking from the strange fruit. When the man recovers enough, Conis introduces them all as her friends, and the man as her father, Pagaya. He even invites them all back to his home for dinner. Before that, however, their fearless Captain decides that he wants to take a spin on the man's waver, and he is happy to oblige. Unfortunately, Luffy doesn't seem to have the ability to control it and he only manages to get himself into deeper 'water' before crashing and getting thrown off into the clouds.

"You know, I wonder how the place treats those with Devil Fruit abilities," Sanji mutters.

"It's not an ordinary sea," Zoro agrees. "Maybe he'll float." The all watch as their Captain disappears under the clouds. "Aah. I guess it works the same." Run sighs and then dives into the clouds after his friend. After fishing him out of the clouds, Run drags him ashore and plants his straw hat firmly back on his head. After everything has settled down, they all finally notice that Nami is taking her turn on the waver with considerably better results. In fact, she seems to be a natural.

With Nami enjoying herself they decide to take Pagaya up on his offer, and head back to his home. Along the way they pass what Pagaya calls a 'cloud quarry' from which they 'mine' the clouds that are used up here. He explains that there are two different kinds of natural clouds. There are 'island' clouds and 'sea' clouds. Island clouds are used to build things on, and the sea clouds are the one's that ships travel on. He explains exactly HOW these clouds are formed but the explanation goes right over the heads of most of the crew. What they do take from the explanation is that the clouds contain particles from Sea Prism Stone which weakens Devil Fruit users, which explains why Luffy is helpless if he falls into the sea clouds.

When they've reached their destination, Conis and Pagaya have them wait in their living room while Sanji and Pagaya cook in the kitchen. "Miss, I don't mean to be rude, but you mentioned 'dials' earlier," Robin begins, breaking the silence. "Would you explain a bit more about them and how they work?"

"Of course," Conis replies. "How do I explain? Well...dials are basically the remains of shell-fish that live in the shallow reefs around here. Their shells usually wash up on the beach, and each one has a different use." The first one she shows them is called a Tone Dial, which records whatever is spoken into it. The next she shows them is a Breath Dial, which stores air and is used on wavers to propel them forward when there's no current or wind. The final one she shows is called a Light Dial, which stores light in them to be released at night.

"Sounds like Dials have a lot uses up here," Run mutters.

"Yes. You could even say that the Dials make life possible here." After she's finished her explaination, Pagaya and Sanji leave the kitchen, balancing plates of food in their hands and on their arms to serve to them all. It's some of the most delicious food that any of them have had in quite a while. Maybe it's because of all the excitement or maybe it's because the food is different than anything they've tried before but everyone eats without reserve. However, rather than start eatting right away, Sanji walks out to the balcony to have a look.

"Oi, Nami is gone," Sanji tells them.

"She's out there on the waver, isn't she?" Luffy counters.

"No, she isn't."

"She probably just went a little far out. She'll be fine."

"Father, do you think she's alright?" Conis asks. "You don't think she went to that place, do you?"

"What place is that?" Luffy asks, around a mouth of food.

"Here in Skypiea, there's a place we're never to step foot no matter what. It's next to this island. If you travel a bit by waver, you could possibly reach it."

"Why not?" Usopp questions her. "What's so special about it?"

"It's sacred ground. It's Upper Yard...the place where God lives. The God Eneru."

"Haaah...don't suppose anyone's ever actually seen this God in person, have they?" Run asks, setting his fork down on the plate.

"No! We're never to step foot into Upper Yard." Everyone can tell from the look in Luffy's eyes that he wants to go there no matter what...and it takes some convincing from Usopp to get him to 'promise' that he's not going to do it. Although, they can tell he doesn't have any intention of actually keeping it.

"Look, let's not jump to conclusions. There's no guarentee that Nami actually went to Upper Yard." Even so, Sanji wanted to go look for her just to be sure, and so Pagaya agreed to help them...

* * *

After somehow managing to drag Luffy away from the food, they made their way back down to the shore. Unfortunately, Pagaya tells them it will take them quite a long time to make it to Upper Yard under the current conditions which is unacceptable to Sanji. So, instead, they drag out the waver they recovered from the bottom of the ocean, and ask Pagaya if he can fix it for them. "Hmm...this thing is quite old," Pagaya mutters, looking over the broken waver. "But I think I can fix it."

"Please do!" Luffy chirps. It apparently contains parts he isn't familiar with, so it may take some time to actually fix. So, they can only wait for him to fix the waver. Usopp and Chopper find ways to amuse themselves on the beach, mainly by building sculptures out of the clouds in the likeness of each crew member.

"You there!" calls a voice from up the beach. Everyone immediately turns towards it, finding a large number of strangely dressed men in white berets crawling towards them. When they've reached them, they suddenly jump up and offer both Conis and Pagaya the traditional greeting before turning their attention to the crew. "You eight! You're the illegal entrants from the Blue Sea, aren't you! I'll humbly bring God's judgement upon you!"

"Illegal? No!" Pagaya says quickly. "These are good people, Captain McKinley! There's no way they would do that!"

"Don't deny it!" He reaches into his jacket and produces several photographs. "Amazon took these of you entering!"

"I knew there was a catch," Run grumbles, arms crossing slowly.

"There's no need to panic just yet. Illegal entry is only an 11th degree crime." He tucks the photos back into his jacket. "If you accept your punishment and pay the fine, then I'll humbly write the crime off and you'll become legal tourists. The fine will be ten billion Extol per person. There's eight of you, so the fine will be eighty billion."

"Eighty billion?!" explodes Usopp. "Wait one second, just how much is that in Beli?"

"Beli? The currency of the Blue Sea. One Beli is equal to ten thousand Extol."

"So, eighty billion Extol is eight million Beli," Robin says. It takes considerable effort on Usopp's behalf to keep the crew calm, and then convince the man to let them wait for their friend rather than trying to pay them right that moment. So, they separate into small groups to wait. Conis shows Chopper and Usopp somewhere they can go fishing while Zoro goes to sleep, and Sanji drives himself up a tree with worry. Luffy waits with Pagaya while he looks over their broken waver and Robin and Run relax in the shade.

Unfortunately, their relaxation is short lived when Usopp, Chopper and Luffy reel in a huge fish that leaps straight up out of the water and towards the beach. It's mouth opens wide, and it heads straight for Conis, intending to swallow her whole it seems. Zoro reacts instantly, using the back of one of his swords to strike the fish and stop it in it's tracks a few meters from Conis.

"That was close," Zoro says.

"What a strange fish!" Usopp shouts. "It tried to eat Conis!" Pagaya goes running over to them, thanking them for saving Conis. The rest of the crew walks over to take a look at the huge fish...and so does Captain Mckinley.

"Well, well, well," begins Mckinley. "This skyfish is so rare that it's forbidden to even catch it. To do so is a violation of the protection law, that's a ninth degree crime."

"It's fine. It's not like Zoro killed it, right?"

"No, I just smacked it with the back of my sword," Zoro tells them, watching it begin flopping and flailing in the shallow water. Rather than allow them further time to explain, Luffy makes things worse by running over to it and attempt to take a huge bite out of it.

"So you say," retorts Mckinley, watching Luffy. "Attempting to eat it is theft, which is an eighth degree crime."

"It's fine," Run assures him, his patience with this man and his laws beginning to reach it's end. "Oi." A small burst of Haoshoku Haki immediately stills the fish. It stares at the red head not moving even a single muscle. "You're still alright...so get lost." It shakes Luffy off, and then retreats into the cloud sea seconds later. "See? Everything is fine."

"No, it's not," Zoro growls. "I've kept quiet listening to you go on and on about all of these laws. But if you don't knock it off, I'm gonna-" Usopp cuts him off, once again attempting to smooth the situation over. They decide that the best course of action is simply going to be for them to do, well, nothing. If they're not doing anything they can't break any laws, after all. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case. When they all lie down on the beach to take a nap the man speaks up yet again.

"Your actions fall under destruction of the environment, that's a sixth degree crime," Mckinley tells them.

"Hold on a second!" bellows the familiar voice of Nami, turning their attention to their Navigator racing towards them. "Don't give them any trouble!"

"Nami, pay them seven million Beli for the fine, please!" Usopp begs. Rather than slow down, she suddenly picks up speed and goes running right into Mckinley.

"That's too expensive!" Nami pulls the waver over to Pagaya and Conis, thanks them for letting her use it and then begins pulling everyone towards the Merry. "Everyone, let's get out of here! I don't want to have anything to do with this God thing!"

"What kind crime is striking him, going to be?" Run questions Pagaya.

"Aah...interfering with offical duties is going to be a fifth degree crime," Pagaya explains. "It's punishment is being sentenced to cloud drifting."

"Cloud drifting?" echos Luffy. "What's that? Sounds kinda nice!"

"No, it's not! It's the death penalty!"

"That must be what happened to that galleon and it's crew," Robin mutters. "They must have recieved that punishment over two hundred years ago, and being unable to escape they must have turned on each other." Nami tries to smooth things over with the White Berets but it doesn't seem they're buying what she's selling.

"There's only one punishment for you how!" Mckinley says, having made a quick recovery from being struck by the waver. "You, who are fifth degree criminals, are going to be sentenced to cloud- what the?!" The men behind Mckinley begin dropping, one by one as if struck by some invisible force. "What's happening?!" It isn't long until only Mckinley is left standing from the group, and then collapses as well.

"Now that THAT'S settled," Run mutters, turning away from them. "Nami, exactly how poor are we?" Their Navigator stares wide eyed at the unconscious men for several moments before slowly shaking her head and looking at him.

"We've got about fifty thousand Beli left," Nami tells him.

"What?! Why are we so poor?" Luffy complains. "As your Captain, I demand an answer!"

"It's because _someone_ uses all of it on food!" Run scratches the stubble on his jaw with a heavy sigh. It makes sense to him, honestly. They don't really engage in very 'pirate-like' activities, after all. They don't exactly plunder or loot.

"You fools!" exclaims Mckinley, attracting their attention. The red head's eyebrows rise in surprise. He doesn't exactly have a lot of experience using Haoshoku Haki but he's never met someone who could recover so quickly after being knocked out by it. Even the rebels and royal guard in Alabasta had taken longer then this. "You should have just behaved and done what I told you! Now..." An involuntary shiver races through him, bringing with it another wave of chills. "...now you're second degree criminals! You'll have to deal with THEM from now on! No matter how much you beg or cry...you'll be judged...by the priests of Upper Yard...!"


	27. Upper Yard! God's Island?

After Mckinley had taken off with the rest of his men, they were left standing on the beach to figure out their next move. Obviously, their best course of action, and the one that Nami seemed dead set on, was to leave Skypeia as quickly as possible. Conis tells them that their best bet for making an escape is to sail for Cloud End. To do that, they'll have to go back down to the White Sea first, though. Which may not be possible under the current circumstances.

Of course, rather than escape right away, Luffy begins Pagaya for the left overs of their dinner. After Pagaya agrees, Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp accompany him back to his home to help gather up what is probably going to be a large amount of food. The rest board the Merry to wait for their return. "You do realize that there's no persuading Luffy, right?" Zoro announces, descending to the lower deck of the Merry to sit at the base of the mast. "Even if we all went to complain it wouldn't help."

"Fine, then I'll stay here!" complains a petulant Nami.

"Suit yourself, then."

"How can you say that so easily?! Aren't you worried?! I'll be killed by those guys, you know!" Zoro offers a shrug of his shoulders before dozing off. "Robin." Nami turns to look at their archaeologist with a smile. "Why don't you and I go beat Luffy together?"

"Wouldn't something like _that_ be impossible?" Robin counters, smiling back.

"Aaah! You!" Nami exclaims, whirling to face the red head who is slowing pulling the anchor up. "You're the First Mate! Can't you talk some sense into him?! Or do that... _thing_ you do to knock people out?"

"Haaah...two things, Nami," Run begins, still slowly raising the anchor. "Firstly, even if I talked to him it wouldn't do any good. Secondly, that 'thing' I do wouldn't do any good. Luffy's will isn't that weak." He reaches the end of the rope and then pulls up the anchor. "Let's just focus on what we CAN do." The ship suddenly lurches backwards, nearly tossing them all off their feet. "What the hell?"

"Oi, what's going on?!" Zoro demands, running up the steps to the upper deck. The ship begins sailing backwards through the cloud sea, pulled by something against the currents. "Are we getting pulled out by the current?" The culprit is suddenly revealed when they look over the railing. "It's that lobster from the gate!"

"Bastard's tryin' to take us for a ride! Zoro!"

"Yeah!" growls Zoro, as the two leap the railing of the Merry. Zoro rapidly hacks and slashes at it's thick carapace, while Run pummels it with powerful punches. They succeed only in cracking it ever so slightly. "Heh. Alright, Red, looks like this'll work. You punch a hole and and I'll finish it off." The red head smirks in response, and raises his fist again.

"It won't work," Robin calls, interrupting him. She casts a rope ladder over the side of the Merry. "Come aboard."

"What are you talking about?"

"Even if the two of you kill it, they'll just pull out their next card." She points towards the bow of the Merry, and the rapidly disappearing Skypeia. Chasing quickly after them is a number of strange fish with huge mouths, and even bigger teeth. "If you kill them, no doubt more will arrive."

"Haaah...so this is 'Heaven's Judgement', then," Run grunts, cracking his knuckles. "What a pain..."

* * *

"That damn thing just dropped us and left," Zoro mutters, scanning their surroundings. The lobster had dropped the Merry at the top of a gigantic stone structure surrounded on all sides by a pool of cloud sea and thick forest beyond that.

"Where are we?" Chopper asks.

"Looks like an alter," Robin tells him, motioning to the strange symbols on the stone structure. "A sacrificial alter, at that."

"What's that mean?"

"Haaah...it means our lives are being offered up to their God," Run says, approaching the railing of the Merry when Chopper is standing, and staring down the stone stairs. "With or without consent." The little reindeer panics, and as a result falls from the rail. "Chopper!" He bounces down the stairs quickly heading towards the cloud sea. Thankfully, he's stopped just shy of falling into the water by Robin, who's sprouted a pair of arms from the last step to catch him. "Good catch!"

From the clouds, a huge skyfish suddenly surfaces and launches itself towards Chopper. "Look out!" Zoro growls, coming out of nowhere to launch himself at the fish. Both go splashing down into the cloud sea seconds later, disappearing under the surface. Run leaps the railing and bounds down the stairs before diving into the water as well. Everyone watches the surface of the clouds in silence, waiting for some sign that they're alright or...or not alright.

"They got eaten!" Chopper cries, after several minutes. "There's no way they weren't eaten!"

"If they were eaten then the clouds would have turned red," Robin assures them.

"Why are you always pointing things like that out?!" Nami screams, panic rising. Suddenly, Zoro and Run rise out of the water...riding a shark? The two men stand on it's back as if it's completely natural, and the creature makes no move to shake them off. "What the?! What's going on?! Get off of that thing!"

"It's fine," Run replies, kneeling to pat the creature on it's snout. "He's gonna give us a hand for now!" Chopper jumps the railing of the Merry and rushes back down the stairs towards the two men to take a better look. His fear seems to have fallen by the way side entirely.

"So cool!" Chopper gushes as Zoro jumps back to the stairs. Run drops down to sit on it's back, legs hanging into the clouds as it continues to pat it on the snout.

"Hey, if you could tame something like that then why didn't you stop that lobster from taking our ship?!" Nami screams.

"Aaah," Run grunts, head turning up as if in thought. "I guess it must have slipped my mind in all the excitement."

"Liar! You just wanted to go to Upper Yard, didn't you?!" A sly smile appears on his face and he offers her a shrug in response. "You and Luffy really are two of a kind! Idiots, both of you!" When Zoro reaches the top of the alter he notices a hole in the hull of the ship and shucks his shirt off.

"Oi, there's a hole in the hull," Zoro tells them. "The Merry isn't going anywhere like this. Chopper! Try to fix the ship." Nami throws a blue shirt down to the swordsman who pulls it on quickly.

"Fix it? Are you planning on going somewhere?"

"As long as Red has that sky-shark under control, we might as well use it to get into the forest. Luffy and the others are probably on their way to find us, so we can use this as our base for now. Like they say, 'if you get lost you should just stay put'."

"Hey, why are you two going into the forest?" Chopper questions them.

"God's on this island, right? I wanna go meet him."

"Don't be an idiot!" Nami yells. "His Priests are still somewhere on this island! You can't make them or God angry!" Zoro laughs in response, and begins slowly descending the stairs.

"Since the two of you are going, mind if I join you?" Robin asks them, descending the stairs after them.

"Huh? Yeah, whatever. Just don't go slowing us down," Zoro tells her.

"Not you too, Robin!" cries Nami.

"But of course. Looking at this alter, I would say that it's at least a thousand years old. Historical things like this make my body tingle all over!" Run arches a brow in response, and decides to file that information away for later just in case he needs it. "Where is great history, there is bound to be great relics as well. Perhaps even a few jewel fragments to help out ship out." This is all the incentive that Nami needs to come bounding down the stairs as well, leaving Chopper to watch the ship as they all jump onto the sky-shark's back.

"Alright," Run says. "Let's go, then...!"

* * *

It's slow going through the thick forests in Upper Yard. They spend a lot of their time scaling the gigantic roots of the trees just to make any head way with little to show for it. "Aaah, where is this 'God' at, anyway?" complains Zoro, scanning the forest.

"Haaah...things would be easier if he came to us," Run adds, dropping down from a large root.

"If he's really a God, he might have foreseen our actions long ago," Robin says simply.

"Don't you three know any fear?" Nami cries. "I keep telling you that the God on this island is horrible!" She breaks into a prayer asking the god to stay kind and peaceful...and then ends it by asking for him to help them find treasure as well.

"We should check out the other side," Zoro decides. "Just following the river isn't going to get us anywhere." When Nami approaches to look for a vine, she nearly falls in and is nearly attacked by a sky-shark in the process. If not for the fast reaction of Run punching it hard enough to send it sailing to the opposite bank and smashing into a tree, it would have eaten her completely.

"I'm not crossing! You can forget it!"

"There's no guarantee that we'll find a place to cross to begin with," Run reasons.

"Then why don't you do that thing of yours and-"

"You don't know this but it takes a bit of finesse to tame a wild animal, Nami. It's not some trick that I can just perform at a drop of a hat, alright? It's a lot different than just using a single burst of Haoshoku and knocking someone out or scaring something off." While the two are busy arguing, Robin begins studying the ground under their feet.

"Hey, look," Robin calls, attracting their attention. "This ground is...dirt."

"...Yeah?"

"It's a sky island."

"You're right," Zoro agrees, tapping his foot on the ground. "It's not fluffy like a cloud."

"Something is unsual about this island. Looks like checking into it might be worth it after all." So, they push on further into the forest, still following the river's bank as they do. Zoro blazes the path for them while Nami and Robin follow and Run brings up the rear. They don't want anyone getting seperated in this forest, and they certainly don't want to be blind-sided by having both Zoro and Run up front. They need to find a path across the river, and after walking for what feels like hours in the heat, they find their opportunity in the way of a large root spanning the distance high above the cloud river.

They scale up the root slowly, and begin their crossing...although, Nami takes her time to make sure she won't fall.

"Haaah...you mind walking a bit faster?" Run questions Nami. "You'll get left behind, ya know."

"Shut up!" Nami shouts. "Don't talk to me right now! What will you do if I fall?!" Before he can respond, a sky shark surprises them by leaping up out of the river below, and heading straight for Nami with jaws spread wide open. As she screams, a firm hand suddenly pushes her straight down to the ground. Nami looks up just in time to watch Run to turn, draw his sword and cut the shark into bloody quarters. Four halves pass harmlessly by the two of them before splashing down into the river below.

"Oi, you two alright?" Zoro calls from ahead of them, standing with arms impatiently crossed.

"Y-Yeah...somehow."

"Looks like the old man's present has already paid off," Run mutters. A single flick of the blade cleans the blood from it before he slides it back into it's saya. He clicks his tongue as he releases the tsuka of it. A single kill didn't seem to quench the blade's innate blood-lust even in the slightest. "But what a foul temperament."

"My apologies...for troubling you...Run," Nami whispers, crawling towards the opposite bank.

"Yeah, no problem." When they've reaches the opposite side of the river, they're surprised to watch Robin suddenly go sliding down one of the roots ahead of them. "What's gotten into her?"

"Dunno," Zoro replies. "She mentioned something about a well ahead." When they catch up with her, they find her kneeling in front of...a well. It's covered in moss and been almost entirely swallowed by the roots of one of the giant trees but other than that doesn't seem all that remarkable to them. Run approaches and crouches down at her side to peer into the hole. Many sets of arms rapidly raise a small vial of water up to her.

"What is it?" Run asks her.

"It's a well," Robin tells him simply.

"I see that. Any reason you're so interested in it?"

"Look." She points to the roots that have nearly swallowed it. "It's been almost entirely covered by the roots. It's almost as if this civilization couldn't tell it was going to happen. This kind of thing isn't normal." She tosses the vial down the well and the arms disappear.

"Oi, Nami!" Zoro calls, turning his head skyward. "Do you see anything?" Both Robin and Run follow his line of sight to the Navigator perched high in a tree. "Well? What is it?"

"I...I see something!" Nami calls back. "We need to go to the shore...!"

* * *

This walk through the forest has raised more questions for them than it has answered. But if what Nami has told them is right, they may find some answers to their questions at the shore. So, they cut a path through the forest, some times using the trees and sometimes the ground to make their way there. The sounds of battle and explosions accompany their walk through the thick forest. Whatever is going on in the distance, it seems to be quite serious. Fortunately, it's not heading in their direction.

The closer they get the fast Nami seems to be going, eventually leaving them behind entirely. "Oi, oi, don't go running off!" Run calls, moving at a brisk pace to keep up. "Everything seems to want to eat you here, ya know." She disappears over a thick root and the red head sighs.

"She must be quite tastey," Robin says, walking beside Run. A soft chuckle escapes him in response.

"She got all energetic when she heard the sea," Zoro adds. "What's gotten into her?" The three scramble up the root she's climbed, dropping down on the opposite side and stopping in their tracks. Nami is standing in front of the remains of a home nearly entirely reclaimed by the forest.

"There's no need to explain," Nami announces, stepping back from the home. "After all...we can all recognize it. We were looking at it just this morning."

"Why is that up here? What's something from the ground doing up here?!"

"Perhaps it'd be more accurate to say this is the other half of the one from below," Robin tells him. "It's been bugging me for quite a while, honestly. This ground is something that shouldn't exist here. It seemed strange that this place wasn't made of clouds. Seeing this, I believe it's safe to assume that Upper Yard...was originally one the ground."

"So, then, Noland wasn't a liar," Run begins, slowly crossing his arms. "He just had everyone looking in the wrong place. Not underwater...but in the sky." He actually chuckles a bit. "Which would mean that the city of gold he talked about..."

"Yahoo~!" screams Nami. "After all this trouble, I can't believe that the sky island we reached was the city of gold! Thank you so much, God! This must be a reward for behaving myself, right?"

"Oi, I thought you were scared of this islands God," Zoro retorts. This kicks off an argument between the two, and while they're busy Robin walks over to the ruins of the house and begins carefully picking through it as if looking for something. Run paces over slowly, approaching from behind and stopping at her side to peer over her shoulder. Robin giggles lightly in response, and gently picks up an aged piece of what could have been a vase at one point.

"Find anything interesting?" Run asks, looking around as well.

"Not particularly," Robin tells him. "It's mainly just items one might normally have in their home. But you never know." She turns to look over her shoulder into his eyes. "You? See anything interesting?"

"Yeah," drawls Run, smirking. "I guess you could say that. A real gem." She arches a brow and he lets his head fall against her shoulder while chuckling. "God, that was corny, huh?" A hand comes up to gently stroke the smooth skin on the nape of his neck.

"Just a little."

"So...historical things make your body tingle, hm?" A hand suddenly slides around her waist, pulling her flush against him. "Being here...is it tingling now?"

"My, Run...is that your sword pressing into me?"

"Oi! Robin! Red!" Zoro calls. "Let's go! We're going back to the Merry!" Run sighs heavily and steps back.

"Guess we should go." Their walk back through the forest is faster going than before. That said, it still took them nearly the rest of the day to make it back in one piece. When they finally make it back to the edge of the pool surrounding the Merry, they all relax...at least until they see what's happened in their absence. The Merry looks like it's taken a real beating since they've been gone. Scorch marks cover the hull, and the main mast has been snapped off entirely.

A feeling of worry sinks into each of their stomachs. They left Chopper on his own, and this is what they return to? Something terrible might have happened to the little reindeer. They need to give over to him and the Merry as quickly as possible. Fortunately, Robin untangles a thick vine from the tree limbs over head, and they go swinging across without a second thought. "Oi, Chopper!" Run shouts, landing on the stairs of the alter, and taking them two at a time towards the Merry. "Chopper! Are you alright?" When they've reached the top, they find themselves staring up their tear streaked and bandaged doctor.

"Chopper," Nami mutters.

"I...I...I'm fine!" Chopper assures them. "N-Nothing happened at all!"

"Chopper. Alright, you're strong. Just tell us what happened." Before he could begin his explaination, they're all surprised by the loud call of a familiar voice. They turn to look, watching as Luffy, Sanji and Usopp come splashing down into the cloud sea in front of the alter. While glad to be reunited with everyone, they express the same concern for the Merry and Chopper when they see him. When everyone has gathered on board, they immediately notice the addition of the sky knight and his bird. Chopper explains that while they were gone, he was attacked by one of the priests of Upper Yard, and had no choice but to blow the whistle for help.

During the fighting, the Merry and the sky knight, who Chopper tells them is called 'Gan Fall'. Unfortunately, both of them were injured in the fight, and so Chopper kept them on board to treat them.

"Well...I guess we owe him a thanks," Sanji says taking a long drag on his cigarette. "Still, since the ship is in the state it mean's we won't be heading back to Angel Island tonight. We should head to the forest and make camp there for the night."

"Ehh? Why?" Luffy asks.

"Because it's easier to fight on the shore than on the ship," Usopp reasons. "Besides, if we have a fight here then we could damage the ship even more!"

"Alright! Camping! I _love_ camping! It's gonna be so fun...!"

* * *

It didn't take them long to set up a small camp on the lakeshore, and they soon had a small fire blazing...over which Luffy was roasing a sky shark he'd killed earlier. While everyone settled in, they decided it was a good time to compile all the information they'd managed to gather. First and foremost was the information that Luffy, Usopp and Sanji gathered from a fight with one of the priests. Apparently, the man used an ability called 'Mantra' during their whole fight which allowed him to predict their movements.

Chopper tells them that besides toting around a spear that set whatever it struck on fire, and riding on a bird that could spew flames from it's mouth the priest he fought could do the same thing. To Run it sounds as if they're using Kenbunshoku Haki...but that can't be right. What are the odds of finding someone other than himself here in Paradise that can use Haki? And not just one but _two_? So, he chooses not to bring it up at the moment. Nami explains to everyone what they uncovered earlier in the day; that the island they're on now was originally part of Jaya, and the city of gold didn't sink into the sea but instead flew into the sky.

"Really?!" Luffy exclaims, face splitting into a grin as he tosses the remains of the sky shark into the forest. "Gold, huh? This is the kind of adventure I've been waiting for!"

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear!" Nami adds, grinning as well.

"How can we as pirates ignore loot just ripe for the taking," Run asks, a smirk appearing.

"Us against them," Zoro laughs. "A game for all out survival. Sounds fun!"

"Alright! Let's go treasure hunting...!"


	28. Head South! The city of Gold!

After gathering all their info, and deciding that they were going to go hunting for the gold the next thing they needed was a plan...and dinner. So, Sanji had them all spend some time gathering ingredients for a stew he was going to whip up, while Nami took some time to review Noland's log book. She surprises them by putting their maps together to reveal a skull, the very skull mentioned in the past entry in his log book. It finally makes sense to them all now. "Noland said, 'I saw the gold in the skulls right eye,'" Nami repeats. "Which means, the gold is right here!"

She points at the skulls eye with a grin, and tells them that the easiest way to go about doing this would be to split up. One time to find the gold and the other to get the Merry sailing down the river. With everything decided, they quickly finished their dinner and began cleaning up for the night.

"It's gotten late," Robin calls, watching Usopp and Luffy poking at the fire. "We should put out the fire to avoid giving ourselves away."

"Put it out?" Luffy echos, turning to face her with a smile. "Did you hear that, Usopp? She wants to extinguish the fire!"

"It's not her fault," Usopp tells him. "She just doesn't get it."

"If you're camping you _have_ to have a fire! It's just the rules!"

"The desire to have a campfire is what makes someone human!" Listening to their whining for several minutes, Nami eventually reaches the limits of her patience.

"Will you two be quiet?" Nami demands. "Do you two know how dangerous this forest is? There are priests, guerrillas, and let's not forget that the forest is always dangerous at night! You could wind up with wild animals or even monsters out there!"

"Oi, Luffy!" Zoro calls, earning Luffy and Nami's attention. "Is this big enough?"

"Are you three serious?!"

"Haaah...just relax," Sanji tells her. "Wild animals are naturally afraid of fire." He picks up a torch, intending to light the fire when Nami notices a great number of eyes glowing in the darkness beyond the edge of their camp.

"Behind you! There's something behind you!" Nami, Usopp and Chopper break down into panic as something...no, someone slowly stalks out of the darkness. The light hits Run, who holds a huge log on either shoulder as he steps into the campsite. Following behind him as if it were nothing more than a loyal pet is a large scarred wolf.

"Oi, oi, just what were you doing out there?" Run drops both logs to the ground before looking back at the wolf.

"Haaah...it's animal thing?" Run asks, more in question than answer. The wolf growls, as if talking to them. "Oi, Chopper, I think it's saying something. Would you mind translating?" With some trepidation, their doctor walks over, listening to the growling.

"He says, 'Your friend here sure is one tough bastard!'" translates Chopper. All eyes immediately lock onto the knot raised on the scarred wolf's head, and then turn accusingly back to the red head. "'I was comin' to see what you dumbasses were makin' all this noise for and I took a likin' to your friend!'"

"Eeh? Does that mean everything is alright, then?" Luffy wonders. "If that's so...the let's all party together!" To be honest, none of them ever would have imagined partying or dancing with wolves but it seems that friendship knows neither species nor language. They dance around the bon-fire with Luffy, Usopp, Chopper and Sanji as if they were all old friends. It was certainly a sight to behold. At the edges of the party, Robin sits quietly watching the dancing.

"They're really living it up, huh," Run says, suddenly sitting down beside her. Kitetsu is no longer at his hip but stood straight up with tsuka resting against his neck.

"They're certainly lively," Robin agrees.

"Yeah. I guess wild parties are starting to become our thing."

"Well, it's not a bad thing."

"They even managed to tame the cloud wolves," says a voice from behind, earning their attention. Both immediately stand, and turn to face Gan Fall as he approaches. "Normally, no one living on Eneru's land would have such a wild party."

"Are you sure you should be moving around?"

"It's fine. I apologize for trying to help but causing trouble instead."

"You helped more than you think," Run tells him. "Chopper told me you saved him and our ship. We owe you a thanks." He sits down several feet from them, watching the crew and the sky wolves dancing wildly around the bon-fire.

"I heard you talking earlier. This land was originally known as Jaya?"

"Yeah."

"I take it you don't know why this place is considered holy ground, do you?" He reaches down and gathers a hand full of dirt. "For you Blue Sea people, this is quite natural. Common, even. But up here this is something that should not exist. We call this Vearth. It's the object of eternal admiration for those living in the sky..."

* * *

Even after a night of hard partying, they woke at first light the next morning and quickly broke down what little bit they had set up before heading back to the Merry. They had their plan, and all they had to do was carry it out. Usopp, Nami, Chopper, Sanji and Gan Fall would attempt to repair the Merry and then sail her to their meeting point at the beach ruins. Everyone else would head south across Upper Yard searching for the gold which should be easy to find because there should be some ruins marking it's location...hopefully. When they finally made it to the alter can see their ship they're all surprised to find it mysteriously repaired.

Usopp began ranting and raving about some 'person' repairing her during the night and how he told Zoro that he saw someone. Not ones to look a gift horse in the mouth, the rest of the crew decides that they'll address it later, and instead turn their attention to getting the Merry off of the alter. Fortunately, Usopp has a plan for this. He immediately turns his attention to the red head with a sly smirk on his face.

"Run," Usopp begins, slowly crossing his arms. "I have a plan for freeing the Merry."

"Haaah...yeah?" Run asks. He suddenly finds himself with a rope thrust into his hands.

"Go, Run! Go and tame a sky shark!" The next second he's flying through the air towards the cloud lake, propelled by Sanji and Zoro.

"Good luck!"

"Pick a big one!"

"You sons of-" He splashes down in the lake, disappearing below the surface of the clouds. Everyone watches the not quiet surface of the cloud lake for what feels like an eternity with no sign of Run surfacing. Suddenly, the rope tied to the Merry's figure-head goes taut, and Run breaks the surface in front of the alter.

"Good job, Run!" Usopp cheers, watching him climb the stairs.

"Yeah," Run drawls, eyebrow twitching slightly. He pays no mind to the fact that the Merry is beginning to move. "Oooh, Usopp. About that plan of yours..."

* * *

After freeing the Merry, Robin, Luffy, Zoro, Chopper and Run made their way into the forest. Even with the thick roots of the trees attempting to bar their progress they manage to move at a good pace south...or they would be moving south of they didn't have to break off constantly to stop Luffy and Zoro from wandering off in their own direction every few minutes. "Luffy! Zoro! We're going south!" Chopper calls, chasing after the two. "You're trying to go east now!"

Luffy comes sliding to a stop and then sighs. "Jeez, why didn't you say so sooner?" Luffy questions him, as the two turn back in the direction their doctor points. Seeing that they're going to get turned around again and again if they let them lead, Robin and Run decide to take point, walking ahead so that they can follow.

"I thought this forest would be scarier but it's not so bad."

"It's a let down, to be honest," Zoro complains. "There was nothing in the forest yesterday, either. We didn't bump into a single priest."

"My, are you always looking for trouble?" Robin questions, glancing over her shoulder at them. When she turns around, she runs face first into the red head's back and nearly bounces off. If her reflexes were any slower she'd have fallen right on her behind. Honestly, it feels like ran right into a brick wall. "What is it?"

"Snake," Run says, simply. She glances over his shoulder at an absolutely HUGE snake staring straight at them. It hisses loudly, baring fangs as it slithers towards them. Run turns, grasps Robin's wrist and begins running in the opposite direction. "Run away!" The others take one look at this and begin running away as well.

"Giant snake!" Luffy laughs, running with them.

"Look out!" Zoro calls, as it lunges at them. They dodge it's strike, and watch as it snaps it's jaws closed onto the trunk of a tree. When it finally releases, the huge trunk has been eaten away to little more than a twig by it's potent venom. "Everyone! Don't let it's venom touch you or you'll die right away!" With so much prey running around the snake isn't sure who to target specifically, and as a result it chases each one of them this way and that before eventually breaking off to chase someone else.

"Damn thing!" Run growls, rushing towards it as it's focused on Luffy. He leaps up towards it's head, and cocks back. A pair of hands suddenly grasp his shoulders, and yank him skywards only seconds before the snake turns and snaps it's jaws closed in the space he'd been occupying. Robin hauls him up to a branch she's perched on. "That was close."

"Certainly was," Robin agrees. "A moment later and you might have ended up as nothing but liquid." They watch the snake continue chasing everyone around before finally running after Luffy into the forest. When the coast seems to be clear, Robin lowers them down through the use of her Devil Fruit. They return to their original path to find themselves the only two there. After waiting patiently for several minutes Run finally heaves a heavy sigh.

"Let's go."

"Are you sure we shouldn't wait for the others?"

"They're not exactly the best with directions, you know. We could be waiting a while, so I say we forge on instead. They'll catch up eventually." Robin nods in agreement, and the two start walking. They manage a good pace through the forest, keeping an eye out for priests and more animals. While they walk, they make small talk about this and that. Run is curious about Robin's childhood, and while she doesn't share much with him what little she does makes him feel closer to her none the less.

Eventually, they arrive at some old ruins, nearly entirely reclaimed by the forest. "This must be the place," Run says, looking around at all the crumbling buildings.

"All these buildings have been swallowed by the forest," Robin adds. "I wonder if the ruins of the actual city are-" The calling of a goat interrupts her and both heads turn up towards a man dropping out of the sky onto one of the old buildings. He lands so heavily that he actually snaps off a corner of one of the old buildings.

"Halt, you two," calls the man. "This route leads to God's shrine. Going any further would be insolent."

"Get down from there!" Robin demands, turning to face him with a scowl. "You don't seem to realize the historical value these ruins have."

"Oi, oi, if you know what's good for you, I'd listen," Run tells him, looking at the man and then Robin and then back. He very clearly remembers the value she places on history from her explanation in Loguetown. Honestly, that's the only reason he hadn't tried poking around in any of the buildings, yet. He doesn't want her to turn her ire on him.

"How impudent!" retorts the man. "By God's order, I'm to chop up the Shandians and the Blue Sea people into pieces with this axe dial!"

"Seis Fleurs!" Robin shouts. Arms sprout from the man's body and the ground, grabbing him tightly. "Twist!" A number of sharp cracking sounds reaches the red head's ears as the man is twisted violently, and then drops to the ground in front of them.

"Should've listened," Run mutters, turning away from the dead man. They wander through the ruins, exploring the ruins of the city and looking for the gold Nami had sent them after. While Robin seems interested in the historical value of everything they pass, Run can't make heads or tails of any of it. While it's somewhat interesting to him it's also little more than some old forgotten city...although, he'd never say that in front of Robin. Maybe he just doesn't have an eye for it.

"Here," Robin suddenly says, approaching a large stone statue. "A memorial for the city. It was built after the city fell."

"Really?" Run asks, approaching it and looking closely at the moss covered statue.

"Shandora. That was the city's name. See here." She gently presses her fingers against the stone. "This city fell over eight hundred years ago. That matches the Void Era...this city might contain information about that time. Information that can't be found below." Robin pulls out a note book and immediately begins writing in it. "This is a map of the city...with it we might be able to find out about that time. We need to go to the-"

"Stop lurking back there." A loud 'crunch!' tails the red head's words and Robin looks back immediately. Standing several meters away from them is a tall fat man in a toga.

"Well, hello there, cutie pie," the man says, looking Robin up and down and ignoring Run's presence.

"You one of 'Gods' henchmen, fat boy?" At his insult, he finally acknowledges the red head.

"'Fat boy'? Watch your mouth! I am Yama! The Divine Commander for God Eneru!"

"So, what brings you hear, Divine Commander?" Robin questions him, closing her note book. The man surges forward without warning, fist raised. It's slow, and should be easy to dodge...if Robin was willing to give ground. Unfortunately, rather than do so she stands her ground. "Viente Fleur: Calendula!" A great number of arms sprout, forming two large circles as to block the man's punch. She's thrown back by the impact into the stone pillar behind them.

"Sea King's Rush!" Run exclaims, covering the distance before the man can do anything else. His knee smashes into the man's temple and sends him tumbling across the ground...and crashing into one of the man stone monuments around them, cracking it's base. "Ohhh...boy."

"Run." The red head heaves a heavy sigh and slowly turns. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Helping you...?" She stands slowly, wincing as she rubs her arms. Honestly, she's not sure if he managed to fracture one of her bones or not but it certainly feels like it.

"You broke that pillar."

"Cracked. I cracked it." She levels a disapproving gaze at him and he holds his hands up in response as if to calm her. "Look, I'm sure that it's-" Loud popping and cracking cuts the red head off as the pillar shudders, and then falls right into another one, destroying them both. Run closes his eyes, and takes a deep breath before looking back at the pillars, and the now slowly standing Yama. "Haaah, gimmie a break."

"Run."

"Wasn't my fault."

"Run."

"Alright, it was a tiny bit my fault."

"Run."

"What do you want me to say, I-"

"No, run away!" She grasps his wrist and pulls him in the opposite direction of Yama. "We can't fight here. If we do, we're only going to destroy more of the ruins!" Yama pursues them immediately, smashing through anything that stands in his way. He seems to be doing his level best to completely erase the ruins, much to Robin's irritation. "That fool...he's got no respect for history! Doesn't he care that he's destroying these ruins!"

"Probably not!" They cut a winding path through the ruins, eventually breaking free of them and coming to a stop in a small clearing with their backs to a cliff. When Yama finally catches up, he finds the two of them waiting for him.

"Is this as far as you plan to run?" Yama questions them.

"Yes," Robin tells him, dropping her back pack. "After everything you've done...I'm not going to forgive you."

"Forgive me? For what?"

"For destroying such historical ruins."

"Really? You certainly care a lot about those shabby things. Even though they don't belong to you!" Robin removes her hat, and drops it with her pack.

"We're done talking." Yama suddenly leaps up into the air, and points both feet down at them.

"Drop Mountain!"

"Treinta Fleurs!" Arms sprout from the branches of a tree over-head, and catch him by the ankles. "Hang!" She swings the man around face first into the trunk of the tree. Robin drops him to the ground after, and winces slightly as she does. "He certainly weighs a lot. And all he can do is just charge forward like a bull." Yama slowly pushes himself up and immediately rushes them, producing a long band of cloth with dials attached to them.

"Take this! Ten Axe Combo! Axe Mountain!" Robin turns towards him, and crosses her arms. A quick flash of light, as of sunlight off a blade, causes Robin to flinch...and Yama suddenly comes crashing down in front of her. The sound of the dials triggering proceeds a wet splash. Long streaks of crimson follow his slide, until he finally comes to a stop in front of her. She looks past Yama to Run, who is slowly shoving Kitetsu back into it's saya. He turns and walks back towards the two of them.

"You ok?" Run asks her.

"Fine," Robin tells him. A hacking cough from Yama draws their attention down to the man.

"Even after that he's still alive?" A trio of hands sprout from his back, and wrench his head back to look at them. "You're tougher than I gave you credit for, it seems." Robin steps closer to the man.

"What you just destroyed were priceless artifacts. Do you understand that?"

"I...I do...I do understand," Yama chokes out. "I won't...I won't do it again."

"Judging from the amount of blood you're losing, I'd say not," Run agrees. Arms sprout from the ground, all leading towards the cliff. They begin rolling the man quickly, intending to send him plummeting to his end. "Buh-bye, Yama." He's thrown off the edge, and Robin crosses her arms.

"Clutch!" exclaims Robin, a sharp 'crack!' following a loud 'boom!' as Yama strikes the ground. Robin sighs, and then retrieves her pack and her hat. Run looks down at the blood stained dials left behind, and then bends to tear one of them off of the cloth. "Souvenir?" Run nods in the affirmative. "Give it here." He tosses the dial to her and she stuffs it into her back pack before the two start walking, heading for the center of the city. Run remains silent the whole time, something Robin notices. A small smile appears on her face. "You know, now that I think about it... _you_ destroyed some of the ruins, too."

"Haaah...sorry?" Run ventures, wondering if that'll be enough.

"Aah, I wonder what kind of history was written on them. I guess we'll never know."

"I'm really sorry?"

"Well...I guess it's fine. After all, it wasn't on purpose." Run sighs a bit in response. When they've reached the center of the city, the only thing that Run can do is follow her around and watch her make the occasional note in her book. All the inscriptions are little more than gibberish to him. A foreign language he could probably never hope to grasp. When they finally stop, Robin cracks open her book and flips through the pages. "None of this makes sense. Nothing is where it's supposed to be."

"It's been a few centuries. It's possible everything's shifted since then, right?"

"I suppose. Things could even have moved when it was blown up into the sky. Unless..." She snaps her book shut and stands quickly. "Let's go!" He follows her to a rather large temple, and then up the stairs, taking them two at a time while he's hot on her heels. Once inside, she tells him that they need to start cutting away the clouds on the floor. So, they quickly begin digging, hacking away the island cloud into little blocks before pitching them out of the hole. Then, just as suddenly as she'd told him to start, she tells him to stop. "Here. It's here." She cuts away another small block and it suddenly drops straight down.

"What in the hell?"

"These ruins were swallowed up by the clouds. Which means what we were seeing..." She jumps into the pit, dropping down onto the cloud. "...was the tops of the buildings!" Run follows suit, landing beside her and looking around the area. He whistles in appreciation, the sound echoing. "Follow me." They cut a winding path through the halls, with Robin occasionally stopping to read some inscription on the walls before continuing. She suddenly doubles her pace, moving at a job, and then a run with the red head following.

They turn down a hall, and spying light straight ahead, Robin breaks into a sprint. When she reaches it, however, she's surprised to find a sheer drop waiting. Robin pitches forward, a surprised gasp escaping her as she tilts forward and then comes to a sudden stop. She's hauled backwards right into Run's waiting arms, who falls back on his behind.

"Damn it, are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Run demands, a bit harsher than he'd intended. Robin sighs heavily, and reclines back against him. One hand raises to gently grip the scruff of his neck while the other rests on the outside of his thigh. "...Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Robin says, turning her head to look back at him. "I knew you'd catch me." The red head chuckles a bit in response before looking out at the city in front of them. "This is it." Robin turns to face it as well. "Eight hundred years ago, the city of Shandora fell. Although...it's hard to believe. It's still such a grand sight. The city of gold." After spending some time admiring it, they eventually untangle and find a way down to the city proper. For being a city of gold, there's a remarkable lack of it, honestly.

Every now and again Robin would stop to read something off of some surface before continuing. Occasionally, Run takes a peek over her shoulder to look at what she's reading. Again, it's written in the same language, and makes little sense to him. Eventually the make it to the center of the city, and rather than finding the golden bell or the belfry, they find absolutely nothing. "The bell is gone," Robin mutters.

"Haaah...that's a bit disappointing," Run adds, looking around. "Huh? Oi, look. Those are...rail tracks?"

"A rail for lorries. Something must have been taken out of here." Laughter sounds from behind them, and both look back quickly. A strangely dressed man sits several meters away from them.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" the man questions them. "Even after being shot up into the sky, the city still exists like this."

"And you are?"

"I'm God. You know, you're pretty good. You're an archaeologist from the Blue Sea, right? It took us several months to find this place, and yet you managed to find it in only a few hours. I guess it pays to be able to read the language here, hm? Unfortunately, the gold you're looking for isn't here."

"So it was you who took it all out of here, then. Does that mean you took the golden bell, too?"

"Golden bell? That's interesting. Did you learn that by reading the inscriptions here?"

"If it wasn't here when you first came here, then it must not have made it to the sky. The bell or the belfry."

"No, it must be here. When the city was blown into the sky, it's said that the loud chiming of the bell rang through the entire nation. The game will be over in eight minutes...why don't I look for this golden bell." Eneru expression turns serious. "Looks like a maggot has reached the edge of the island." Eneru raises his arm, and electricity begins arcing wildly from his body seconds before a bolt pierces the sky, destroying the clouds above all of them.

"What did you just do?!"

"I bestowed mercy. And now that we're running of out time...!" The man turns his arm skyward again, and another bolt of lightning sails skyward. It arcs out, destroying a number of ruins around them as a result. "Let's start the finale!" Robin is surprised when someone lifts her up the next moment and starts moving, dodging the falling debris wildly. When it's all finally stopped, Run sets her down and both scan their surroundings. They can't see the 'God' anymore.

"Ruins? From above?" A large chunk of stone suddenly shifts before being lifted to reveal Zoro. "Mr. Swordsman?"

"Zoro!" Run calls, approaching.

"Damn it! I almost died!" Zoro shouts, shoving the stone away and revealing Chopper tucked onto an arm. "Huh? It's you two. Mind telling me where we're at?"

"The city of gold, apparently."

"Really? Doesn't look too differently from up there." Run motions to Chopper.

"What happened to him?" Zoro shrugs in response. The sky darkens suddenly, and both look in the direction of the light just in time to watch a bolt of lightning shock a giant snake. The same one that had chased them in the forest, Run notes. "Aaah! Crap! Nami! There's no way she'll survive that!"

"Oh, Zoro, Robin, and Run, too," Nami suddenly calls, attracting their attention to the woman crouched behind a small barrier. "Hello."

"Wha?! How the hell did you get out of that snake?!" Zoro demands.

"It's...a strange story. But...Luffy...he's still inside." Spying Eneru several meters away, Zoro turns Chopper over to Nami before he, Robin and Run begin approaching. The man is crouched low on a ball of clouds, and in front of him is Gan Fall and another man that Robin and Run don't recognize.

"Welcome, splendid survivors!" Eneru calls, watching them approach. "I'll praise you for that. Well, I'm just having a little fun! I was curious to see how many people out of eighty-one, including myself, would still be standing after three hours. My guess was five...but it seems we have seven here, and that just won't do. So...who will die? Will you fight each other..or shall I take care of it myself?"

"So, what's the word, then?" Run asks aloud. "It ain't gonna be me."

"Me neither."

"I refuse as well."

"I won't accept that."

"I, too, firmly refuse."

"So, if someone's gonna die...it's gotta be _you_..."


	29. Eneru Banished! The Golden Bell Rings!

"You're telling me to die?" Eneru laughs. "Listen to yourselves!" His laughter echos across the silent ruins as he stares at them. "That's just what you'd expect from the game's survivors! However, it doesn't seem like you realize who you're talking to. You still don't understand the existence of God. An old fool who wishes for Skypiea's happiness...a warrior who single-mindedly desires his homeland...and thieves from the Blue Sea who are after the gold. But this world is full of lost lambs, and I don't care one bit for their desires."

"If you've got time to prattle on about such nonsense then tell me where the Divine Squad is!" Gan Fall demands. "Just what is your goal?!"

"I've got a place I need to return to. A place regarded as God's home by the people on the Sky Island I was born! A place called Endless Vearth! A place where the ground extends as far as the eye can see! That is the world that I dream of!"

"You are bat shit insane," Run tells him bluntly.

"Insolent fool! As god I am only adhering to the province of nature!" He strikes the cloud with the golden staff and it disappears, allowing him to float down. "I will drag down every Human from this sky!"

"You're planning to wipe out this nation," Gan Fall accuses, grinding his teeth.

"Naturally."

"Don't be so conceited, Eneru! 'God' is merely a title used to refer to the leader of this nation!"

"Yes, up until now, actually."

"The real 'God' does not live in the Human world!"

"Former God, Gan Fall...you're worried about the Divine Squad, aren't you? After losing against my forces, I took your six-hundred and fifty subordinates under my charge. Just this morning, they finished the work I asked them to do on this island. I told you before, didn't I? The only one's still standing are the seven of us." At this, Gan Fall finally loses his cool and rushes Eneru with lance raised.

"Don't!" Run exclaims, watching the lance pass through the man harmlessly. The man holds his hands out above and below Gan Fall's head. Electricty charges at his finger-tips, gathering quickly in strength as he begins counting upwards.

"One million...five million...ten million...twenty million...thirty million! Thirty Million Volt Vaari!" Lightning arcs between his finger-tips, striking Gan Fall in the head and sending him sprawling to the ground. "God exists in this world."

"There's no doubt about it now. He's eaten a Logia Fruit."

"Most likely the Rumble-Rumble Fruit," Robin adds. "And if I'm not mistaken...it's one of the few that's considered to be invincible."

"One down...one to go," Eneru says, turning to face them. "So, which one is going to be next?" Rather than being intimidated, Run steps forward while slowly cracking his knuckles. "So, it's you then." A smirk appears on his face as he rushes forward. "Not going to use your sword? Well, it won't matter, it's not like-"

"Sea King's Rush!" exclaims Run, jumping and smashing his knee into the man's chin. Confusion appears on Eneru's face as he's thrown straight back, smashing into the base of a large temple several meters behind him. Eneru lands on his feet, slumped back against the rough stone.

"He...hit me...?" Hearing running foot steps he looks up just in time to see Run cocking back, fist and arm dyed black. "Sango!" A cone of lightning arcs out from his outstretched palm, catching the red head right in the middle. It feels as if his entire body is on fire, electricity doing it's best to over-whelm every never, every organ. When the blast of lightning fades, Run is lying on his back several meters away. "Insolent fool...I don't know how you hit me...but it doesn't matter now." Eneru wipes the blood from his slip lip with a scowl before slowly walking back towards them past Run.

"Run," Robin mutters, staring at the unmoving red head.

"And now, there's five. Just as I predicted. Come! It's time for us to travel to Endless Vearth!"

"Travel? With you? Are you insane?"

"Why not? If you stay, then you'll fall into the abyss with this island."

"I'd rather." Eneru scowls in response, and slowly raises his hand to point at her.

"What a stubborn woman. I hate stubborn women." A bolt of lightning flies from his fingers, striking Robin in the head. She pitches backwards towards the ground, her vision beginning to fade. Before she does, however, someone suddenly catches her. Even through fading vision she recognizes him, and a weak smile appears on her face.

"Run."

"I'm here," Run pants, watching her slip into unconsciousness. Scorched and still tingling all over, he gently lowers her to the ground.

"Oh, so you were still alive," Eneru says, watching the two. "That won't do. I've already passed judgement on you." Run suddenly turns and rushes him, sword drawn in an instant. Eneru steps back as he approaches, dodging his attack. The blade of the weapon is the same black as his hand, and he certainly doesn't want to get hit by it. Still, he's surprisingly quick on his feet, forcing him to dodge quickly. "My, my, aren't you riled up. Can I assume from your actions just now that you and that woman are lovers?"

"Shut your mouth!" He dodges a swipe of Run's sword, and suddenly lunges forward, grabbing him by the shoulders.

"In that case, I'll send you to meet her." Electricity races through him for the second time, and it feels like the blood in his veins is being boiled. Everything hurts, every nerve screams...the pain overwhelms him for a second time, and he blacks out...

* * *

Shouting voices...that's what brings him back around. Someone shouting at the top of their lungs, and then violent shaking. Grey eyes slowly open, and Run finds himself staring straight up at the concerned face of Luffy, who is gripping my by the front of his shirt. "Run! Run! Wake up!" Luffy demands. He finally notices Run staring back at him and grins. "Run! You're alright!"

"M...More or...less," Run retorts. "Stop shaking me."

"Aah, sorry."

"Li...Listen to me. The way things are right now...this nation is going to disappear. Do you understand?" A numb hand reaches up and grasps Luffy by the shoulder. "We...We have got to stop him. He's going to return this island, and everyone on it, to the ground. This guy is bat shit crazy."

"Then this Eneru guy will definitely be when the golden bell is."

"Without a doubt." Luffy gently lowers Run back to the ground and nods in the affirmative before standing and running off. He stays there for what feels like an eternity before finally gathering enough strength to roll over onto his stomach and slowly push himself up until he kneeling. His whole body still feels numb from the electric shocks he's taken...and it doesn't seem like it's going to wear off any time soon. Regardless, he glances over at his sword and then reaches out to recover it. After shoving it back into it's saya he actually grins a bit. "So much...for the curse."

"R...Run," moans a soft voice. His head snaps in Robin's direction, and with difficulty he struggles to his feet before stumbling over and dropping down at her side. He gently gathers her into his arms before looking down at her with a smile.

"You're alright."

"Fine. Are you?"

"I'll live." She struggles but eventually manages to sit up with his help. "We need to get everyone out of here. Luffy is going to take care of Eneru." She nods in understanding, and after resting for a bit more the two go about moving everyone who is still unconscious to the center of the city, and the base of the gigantic bean stalk growing straight up through the clouds. In the middle of moving everyone, dark clouds suddenly begin appearing in the sky. Lightning and thunder boom and flash through them occasionally.

"What is going on?"

"Who knows?" Run carefully adjusts Zoro and Gan Fall, who he's carrying, but moving on again. The others are being moved by Robin, who sprouted feet from their backs and is matching them behind the two of them. When they reach the base of the bean stalk, Run gently set Zoro and Gan Fall down beside Chopper and the other man, whatever his name was. The feeling is starting to return to both of their bodies now. It won't be long before they're back to normal.

"Oi! Robin! Run!" shouts a familiar voice from the bean stalk, attracting their attention. Luffy is running on the massive vines, with what seems to be a gigantic ball of gold attached to his arm. "Look after these guys for a while!" He tosses a little girl and Gan Fall's bird at them, which forces Robin summon multiple arms to catch them with. "Robin, the golden bell is at the top, right? And Eneru's after it, right?"

"Yes," Robin tells him. "If the belfry exists, it would have to be there." Luffy nods in understanding, and then goes sprinting straight up the bean stalk. "Aah. He left." Robin turns her attention now to the little girl. "Say, do you know where our navigator is? She has orange hair, and-"

"Eh? If you mean Nami, then she's on that ship," the little girl tells them. "But now...I can only hear one voice coming from it." Hearing the sound of a waver, all heads turn in it's direction just in time to see Nami, Usopp and Sanji coming around towards them. "Aah! Nami!" Nami stops the waver several feet away from them, and the little girl goes running toward her. "Nami!"

"Aisa," Nami calls, embracing her. "I'm glad you're alright."

"Zoro! Chopper! Old man!" Usopp calls, approaching with Sanji slung over a shoulder. "Don't tell me I missed the fighting?! Ahh, if only I was here!"

"Aisa, where's Luffy? Weren't you with him?"

"He went up the bean stalk to save you," Aisa tells her.

"Aaah! I just missed him!" Nami suddenly jumps on the waver. "Everyone, go to the Merry! I'm going to go after Luffy!" Without wasting any more time, she speeds off straight up the bean stalk, and disappears into the sky. The lightning storm over head grows in intensity, with bolts of lightning starting to strike the ground around them. Awakened by lightning and thunder, Zoro, Gan Fall and the strange man, who Aisa calls Wyper suddenly sit up.

"We should go, there's nothing more we can do here," Robin says.

"No," Run replies simply. "We're staying here." Bolts of lightning continue to strike around them, and yet none of them move.

"He's far above now. It's only a matter of time before his ship reaches the top."

"What is it he's after there?" Gan Fall asks.

"A gold bell at the top."

"Gold bell?" echos Wyper. "Is that what you said?!"

"Yes."

"Where exactly is it?"

"Oi! This is no time for treasure hunting!" Usopp screams. "Didn't you see that lightning bolt?! We're gonna die for sure if we don't get out of here!" Both of them ignore the sniper, and continue talking about the bell. Robin tells him that it's located at the top of the bean stalk. She came to that conclusion based on the fact that the vine pierces right through the center of the city, and that a map she found indicated that the center of the city was where the belfry was at.

"Heads up!" Run suddenly exclaims, looking straight up at the sky. A huge chunk of bean stalk plummets straight down towards them, forcing them to scatter in all directions to dodge it. "That's the top of the vine. Someone's making a real mess up there."

"Wyper, no!" Aisa cries. "Even if you climb the vine you can't reach Eneru in the sky!"

"It's above," growls Wyper. "The bell that the great warrior Calgara was seeking! Eneru...I refuse to let you have it!" Everything is going from bad to worse for them. In the distance, Robin is the first to notice that the clouds over Angel Island have formed into a massive sphere, and are slowly descending towards the island. They can do nothing but watch as it drops lower and lower until it finally makes contact. The resulting flash of lightning is so bright that it nearly blinds them as it destroys the island.

"Did you see that?!" Usopp screams. "All that lightning, and the explosion! We need to leave before we're next!"

"We can't," Run tells him plainly.

"What do you mean?! Why not?!"

"Because Luffy is going to ring the bell. We have to wait for him."

"He's going to ring the bell?" Wyper asks.

"Yeah. Nami won't be able to bring him back. Once he's sets his mind, no amount of convincing will change it...he's stubbon like that." Even so, Usopp continues complaining, demanding that they leave while they can but everyone simply ignores their sniper.

"Aaah! Watch out! Something's falling again!" Usopp screams, diving to the ground only seconds before a giant leaf floats down beside them. "A...leaf?" Scrawled on it's surface are instructions from Luffy and Nami for the crew to cut down the bean stalk so it falls to the west. Above their heads, the clouds begin swirling, shaping themselves into a huge sphere far larger than the last one. It's so large that they're all sure they won't be able to escape from this place anymore.

Bolts of lightning being striking around them, forcing them to run for cover. "Damn it," Zoro complains. "If this keeps up we're going to get blown off onto the ruins below! Red! We need to bring down the stalk! I'll take the closest part!"

"Yeah!" Run agrees, sliding to a stop and then doubling back with Zoro. They dodge bolts of lightning, weaving this way and that as the run. When they reach the edge of the clouds, Zoro leaps the distance and makes the first cut, cutting one part of the twisting vine completely in half...only to be struck by lightning moments later. Run jumps the distance, cocking back and coating his fist in Haki. "Sea King's Bite!" His fist impacts the surface of the stalk, and immediately blows a hole in it much to everyone's amazement.

Even with that, it doesn't seem any closer to falling...and Run notices Wyper out of the corner of his eye. "Try this! Reject!" exclaims Wyper, slamming his palm against what little bit is left, and blowing another gigantic hole in the stalk. With that, it shudders, and finally begins to fall while Usopp, Gan Fall, and Aisa begin cheering. Lightning begins raining from the sky, striking all around them. Run retreats back to the others, taking cover in the forest from the stray bolts with everyone else.

They watch as the stalk slowly tilts, and then rapidly begins falling before finally crashing loudly to the ground...and immediately following it, the clouds begin to disappear. It's slowly at first and then just as suddenly as they appeared they are gone leaving nothing but blue skys behind. "Go, Luffy!" Run screams. "Ring the bell!"

'Gong!'

"That bonehead actually did it!" Usopp laughs.

"How beautiful," Robin says.

"What a pretty sound!" Chopper adds.

"I believed that this moment would come one day," Gan Fall chokes, tears welling up in his eyes.

"So, this is the sound Noland heard," Sanji muses.

"I knew he would..."

* * *

When everything seemed to be said and done, they headed back to the ruins to look for Zoro. He wasn't that difficult to find, since he was just sitting still and even though he'd been hit by a bolt of lightning, he didn't seem to be any worse for wear. It was Wyper who needed to be treated immediately. According to Chopper the man was on deaths door-step. Even though they were glad to stop Eneru, they didn't end up with a single thing to show for their trouble. The city had been stripped of it's gold, the belfry sank into the cloud sea...they have nothing to show for helping out the Sky People. Run heaves a heavy sigh as he sits on a large chunk of stone.

"I guess we'll just have to forge on regardless," Run says.

"Our journey in poverty continues," Zoro adds, smirking lightly.

"I'd rather have the dials than the gold," Usopp tells them. "We won't be able to get them ever again once we return to the Blue Sea." Suddenly, they're interrupted by someone calling loudly, and all heads turn to see Luffy, Nami and Conis running in their direction with Luffy pulling a huge bag behind him. "Oi! Luffy!"

"Everyone! I finally caught up!" Luffy laughs. "Look, look! I brought a whole bunch of food! It was in the priests storage...!"

* * *

None of them are quite sure how the party started. They Straw Hat's had only intended to have a small celebration but before they knew it nearly everyone who had escaped from Angel Island had joined in. Even the snake that had chased them earlier was part of the party! Everything was a blur of food and drink as they celebrated their survival and freedom from the 'God' Eneru. Eventually, however, things began to wind down and people started going to sleep. By the time the bon fire had burned out, everyone was fast asleep...everyone except for Luffy.

The rubber Captain sneaks through the darkness, stepping over sleeping bodies as he heads for his crew with a grin. They're sleeping on top of an elevated platform, away from the rest of the sky people, which makes them easy enough to spot. He climbs up the few stairs and approaches a sleeping Nami. "Oi, oi!" Luffy whispers, shaking her by her shoulder. "Nami! Wake up!"

"Mmnnh...what is it?" Nami complains, eyes opening slowly. "I'm trying to sleep."

"I know but...I need to tell you, I found the gold."

" **YOU FOUND THE GOLD?!** " Unfortunately, Nami's screaming wakes everyone who had been sleeping. While the Straw Hat's voice their complaints at being woken, Luffy pulls them all into a tight huddle and explains what's going on.

"We're going to steal it and run!"

"Alright, then," Usopp says. "Tomorrow, we're going to leave these sky islands! Let's make sure we don't have any regrets...!"

* * *

The next morning, everyone went out to do what they wanted to do before they finally had to set sail. Run had nothing in particular that he wanted to do, and so when he heard that Zoro was going to be training he decided that he would just pass the time training with him. That was going to be the plan, anyway, before Robin asked if he would accompany her to the western shore. Apparently, the Shandorian's had managed to dredge up the golden belfry somehow, and she wanted to see it.

So, he went with her to have a look. How could he not? After everything that had happened, he'd kick himself if he never laid eyes on it and so they set out for the shore. When they arrived, the Shandorian's were gathered in front of the absolutely massive structure, simply gazing on in reverence. The only part of it that's not gold is a large square stone set into it. "Chief, what does it say?" one of them askes.

"I'm sure it's something we're better off not knowing," the man replies.

"'Hold our true motive in your heart and speak not of it'," Robin translates, weaving through the crowd and approaching the bell. "'We are the one's who weave history with the sounding of the grand belfry.'"

"How do you know those words?"

"They were engraved on a Shandoran ruins. You were the keepers, entrusted with this for generations." The two stop in front of the belfry, and Run whistles in appreciation as he stares on. Truly, it is a magnificent sight to behold, and one he's glad to have the opportunity to see.

"Could it be...you can read those characters?"

"What's it say?" Run asks her. "Is it what you were looking for?" Robin responds with a shake of her head.

"No," Robin tells him. "It's just information about an ancient weapon called Poseiden. It's whereabouts...nothing I'm looking for. It's just a disappointment." The red head nods in understanding, and watches as she turns away. He's about to follow when he notices more of the same characters struck into the gold beside the Poneglyph.

"Oi, what about these?" Robin stops, and turns around to have a look at them.

"G...Gol D. Roger..."

"Roger?"

"...'I made it here. I will guide this text to the ends of the earth. Pirate Gol D. Roger.'"

"Roger made it here?!"

"The King of the Pirates! He came to this sky island, too?! What do those words mean?! No." She stares intently at the words. "More importantly, why does he know how to use these characters?"

"So, it says Roger?" asks Gan Fall, earning their attention. When the man had arrived was beyond them.

"Did you know him?"

"Yes. He's a Blue Sea pirate who came to this sky twenty years ago. So, his name is engraved there." Robin nods in the affirmative.

"There are two kinds of Poneglyph. One's that hold information, and one's that guide to one's that have information. This is the former." She reads the text again and suddenly her eyes widen. "I see. Chief...this Poneglyph had fulfilled it's purpose." She explains that Poneglyphs that hold information must all bear a connection to each other, and when put together will give a complete history of the Void Century. This one had it's text deciphered and was taken to the end of the Grand Line where it was added to the rest of the text that Roger must have gathered.

"So...in other words...does that mean our duty has been fulfilled as well?" the chief questions her. "We...We no longer...have to fight?" At Robin's nod, the man broke down into tears. It seems the centuries long burden placed on these people by their ancestors has finally been lifted. "Good...our duty has finally been fulfilled!" Run stares at the text carved into the gold by Roger...and a smile slowly appears on his face.

"What is it?"

"If Roger stood here," Run begins, still smiling. "That means, my might have father stood here, too."

"I see."

"Seeing this...it makes me feel like I'm one step closer now. Just one step closer to surpassing the old man...and Luffy brought me here." Run chuckles lightly. "I'm never sorry that I decided to come with him." Robin nods in agreement, and the two turn away from the belfry.

"By the way, that straw hat kid reminds me of Roger," Gan Fall tells them. "Maybe it's just this old man's imagination, though."

"His name is Monkey D. Luffy."

"'D'? So he has the same letter in his name. I see."

"You two," calls the chief. "You guys wanted gold, right? You said it's more valuable than Vearth in the Blue Sea. So, how about taking that broken belfry column. Though, we can't give you the bell you're welcome to take it if you wish."

"You're sure? Well, then, who are we to turn down a gift...?"

* * *

When they returned to the ruins, at the head of a group of people dragging the column, they found Luffy, Usopp, Sanji and Chopper waiting for them. Each one of them was carrying a large sack stuffed full of what Robin and Run could only imagine to be gold. " **OI! ROBIN! RUN! HURRY! WE GOTTA RUN! WE STOLE SOME GOLD!** " Luffy bellows when he notices them. Upon noticing the huge wrapped up column, Usopp and Chopper began panicing, believing they were going to be attacked for stealing.

"What's the hurry, Luffy?" Run shouts back, scratching his head calmly.

"Look, look!" Luffy turns his back and points into the over-flowing sack of look. "We got a really good catch! We're rich!" They start running away, leaving them standing there in confusion. Robin and Run immediately take off after them.

"Oi! Are you guys going to take this?" one of the men calls.

"Sorry, looks like we won't be needing it!" Robin tells them, as they sprint to catch up. It's a dash through the ruins and the forest all the way back to the Merry where Nami, Conis and Pagaya are waiting. They quickly board the Merry, weigh anchor and set sail for Cloud End. They store their ill-gotten gains and then all they can do is wait. While they're excited to set sail again, they're also a bit sad to be leaving behind sky island. All too soon, they find themselves at Cloud End.

"I wonder if we can visit this place again," Nami says, staring off at the horizon.

"Who knows," Usopp offers.

"I guess it's time to bid fair well," Run mutters, staring at the gate ahead. Conis, Pagaya and Suu all quickly disembark from their ship and bid them fairwell as they sail through the gate. Pagaya even tells them to furl the sails and hold on tight to the Merry. Even though they were sad to leave, Luffy was raring to go for their next adventure. As they pass through the gate, however...they suddenly found themselves in free fall, dropping straight down towards the ground. Fortunately, it seems that it's all part of the process, as the next second the Merry was suddenly wrapped up tight by a giant octopus that inflated itself like a ballon.

"What the hell?!" Zoro demands.

"This is soo cool!" Luffy gushes, laughing wildly.

"The fun just never stops," Run adds, releasing the railing of the Merry with a smirk. The loud chiming of a bell sounds moments later, bringing a smile to their faces. "They really know how to send off their friends, huh?" Their spirits lifted by the sound of the bell...the only thing they can do now is just wait to float down back to the sea...


	30. Davy Back Fight!

Hello~! It's me! Let me begin by saying that this was probably my least favorite chapter I've written. I must have written and rewritten it at least three time before I was satisfied. Even so, I hope you enjoy reading it~!

* * *

As it turns out, drifting down is as surprisingly slow process. It takes so long that eventually the sun sets before they can even begin to really see the sea below them. During that time they tried to decide what they were going to spend the treasure on. Luffy wants to spend it on a giant statue, Chopper wants to spend it on medical text, and Sanji wants a locking refrigerator to keep Luffy from raiding it in the middle of the night. "If I let you guys spend it on whatever you want, obviously it's going to run out!" Nami tells them.

"What we need to spend it on is a shipwright," Run tells them, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Shipwright?" Luffy echos.

"Yes. Usopp and I do our best to keep the Merry sailing but we're not as skilled as someone who actually does it for a living, Luffy. I say, we should spend some of it to have her repaired properly when we make port. After that, we should really consider trying to find a shipwright."

"Alright! Then, let's make our next crew member a shipwright! And then a musician!" The Merry suddenly shudders violently...and then they begin picking up speed! "Oi, oi, oi! What's happening?!" All heads turn skyward to find the octopus that was carrying them down completely deflated. With nothing keeping them from dropping, they do just that! They fall out of the sky like a stone, eventually smashing into the sea and are almost swallowed by the sea as a result.

When everything settles down the crew pulls themselves off the deck and looks around. "That was close," Sanji says. "It could have been really bad."

"Dropping out of the sky doesn't qualify as bad?"

"Alright!" Luffy suddenly bellows. Apparently nearly being sunk by crashing down hasn't affected him in the slightest. "Set the sails, men! Let's go to the next island!" Before they could do anything, a huge wave suddenly rises up from the sea behind them. "Whaaa! Look at that! Sea Monkeys!" Everyone scrambles across the deck to grab the oars and begin rowing! Thing's always seem to go from bad to worse...!

* * *

It was nearing dawn by the time they gave the slip to the Sea Monkeys, and all of them were thoroughly exhausted. "Things have calmed down a little now," Sanji mutters, reclining against the mast. "Well, at least for the time being."

"We can't lower our guard, yet," Zoro replies.

"Emergency!" Usopp shouts from the crows nest. "Ship spotted at our twelve o'clock!"

"Haaah...really?" Run complains, hauling a soaked and weakened Luffy up off the deck. "Talk about a bad time. Are they enemies?"

"I...don't know! The ship has no sails, and no flag! I can't tell what kind of ship it is!" Usopp takes a good long look at the ship. "And the crew...kinda seems...small? And kind of lifeless!" Usopp's call-outs confuse them all but they have little time to dwell on it as the Sea Monkey's they thought they'd given the slip to, suddenly appear once more behind the ship.

"Again?!" Luffy screams, suddenly coming back alive. "Run away!" Everyone scrambles back to the oars, and begins rowing away from the huge wave that rises. They call out to the crew of the unknown ship as they go rowing past, telling them to turn their ship away and retreat like them. Unfortunately, they seem more intent on trying to attack then getting away from the Sea Monkey's and are swallowed by the wave seconds before they lose sight of them...

* * *

Things always seem to go from bad to worse. Just as it seemed they'd given the Sea Monkey's the slip for the second time, they found themselves sailing through a fog so thick that they could barely see their own hands in front of their faces. The whole crew gathers on the bow of the Merry, keeping an eye out for anything that might be a hazard. The last thing they want to do is run aground because they can't see. "I can't wait, I can't wait!" Luffy laughs, bouncing up and down on the Merry's figure-head. "What's on the other side of this fog?!"

"We'll find out soon, Luffy, I'm sure," Run assures him, standing close to Robin.

"Ohhh! I can see it...I see... _land_!" The fog seems to part for them, revealing nothing but an island with rolling plains, and tall trees. "It's all grass as far as the eye can see!" They've barely gotten close to the shore before Luffy goes leaping over board onto the island, followed in short order by Chopper and Usopp. Nami immediately calls for them to come back but they ignore her entirely. All three roll this way and that in the grass, apparently enjoying it.

"Man, what a dull place," Sanji complains.

"Do you think anyone lives here?" Robin wonders. Run offers her a shrug of his shoulders as he tosses the anchor over board.

"Jeez, those three just go barging into uncharted territory like it's nothing," Nami complains, watching them.

"Aah, let 'em have their fun," Run tells her. "It's not like we won't see danger coming from a ways off." In the middle of their rolling around, the three suddenly notice they're not alone. Walking on two legs, several meters from them is a tall, furry creature...which they promptly jump on.

"So long! It's a long bear!" Usopp says, holding into it's back. Luffy stretches an arm out, and snatches a strange red fruit from one of the trees before biting into it. "Aah! Don't just eat random things!"

"It's alright! It's an apple!" Luffy tells him. "A long apple!" The bear finally seems to have had enough and shakes the three off before storming off in a huff. "Everything on this island is so tall!" The three laugh in response at all the strange creatures that suddenly begin appearing before Usopp spots a house in the distance, and the three go running off towards it. It happened so fast that the rest of the crew couldn't do anything to stop them.

"Aah, now where did they run off to?" Zoro complains.

"I only looked away for a second," Run mutters, scratching his chin. "Well...I guess we should look for them."

"We should look for some food while we're here," Sanji tells them. "We're running a little low, and if we can find some wild edibles it would help hold us over until we make port." While everyone begins to disembark the ship, Run notices Robin staring off into the fog intently.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," Robin tells him, finally looking away. "I just thought I saw something." They've barely gotten off the ship and taken more than a few steps away when the sound of cannon fire surprises them all. Two giant claws fly from the fog, and strike the ground on either side of the ship, their thick chains dropping into the water.

"Who are these guys?" Zoro growls.

"If you're lookin' for a fight, then come on!" Sanji adds, glaring at the large ship.

"We are the Foxy Pirates!" announces a loud voice. "Don't be hasty! All we want is a show down! A Davy Back Fight!"

"Davy Back Fight?" Nami echos.

"That's right! The fight begins when two Captain's strike an agreement! As we speak, our Captain is challenging your Captain, Monkey D. Luffy, to battle!"

"What kind of bullshit is that?" Zoro retorts. "If you want a fight, then just come down and start one!"

"That's not how it works, Zoro," Run tells him. "A Davy Back Fight isn't a real fight so much as it is a game. It's a way for pirate crews to challenge one another with their top crew members up for grabs to the winner. After each match, the winner can take a crew member from the opposing crew. It's a way to strengthen the crew without risking life or limb...well, with minimal risk to life and limb. Those picked, must swear loyalty to the opposing Captain in the name of Davy Jones."

"So...if you lose you lose a crew member?!" Nami screams in worry.

"Not just the crew but their Roger; the crew's very identity can be taken from them never to fly again."

"There's no way we'd agree to such a ridiculous game!"

"Fool! A regular crew member can't make that decision!" shouts one of the men. "The game only begins when the two Captain's reach an agreement! Like it or not you're all involved in this game if your Captain agrees to it!" The red head heaves a sigh.

"As much as I hate to agree with these guys, he's right," Run tells her, slowly crossing his arms. "If they reach an agreement, and we run away, we'd be completely humiliated."

"Who cares?!" Nami demands.

"Heh, I'd rather die than live in shame," Zoro tells them, smirking.

"I second that," Run adds.

"For once, I actually agree with them," Sanji says, taking a long drag on his cigarette. Nami groans in response, and continues trying unsuccessfully to convince them all.

"Just let it go, Nami," Robin giggles. "This is how men are."

"Aaah! Fine!" huffs Nami. "Then all I have to do is-" Two gunshots ring out loudly in the distance, cutting her off.

"Looks like he agreed to it..."

* * *

After the gunshots, the entire Foxy crew sprang into action, setting up for the Davy Back Fight. By the time they were finished, the area in front of their ships looked more like a festival ground than the setting for a high-stakes game. Naturally, at the center of the whole thing is Luffy, and the Foxy Pirate's Captain, a man they find out is named 'Foxy'. The announcer, a woman called 'Porche', explains the rules to Luffy. When she's finished, Foxy allows Luffy to pick the number of games, and Luffy decides on three.

After that, it was time to pick who is going to take part in which event. The three events are the Donut Race, the Groggy Ring and finally Combat between opposing Captains. Since a crew member could only compete once, in one event, and Luffy was obviously going to be fighting Foxy so they had to choose who was going to do what.

"Make sure you give this to the organizer," one of Foxy's men says, tossing them a roster. "Once you decide it's set in stone." Zoro glares at the man before picking up the paper.

"It says the race is open to everyone," Zoro tells them. "The ball game is only for three people, and then it's the Captain's fight." While Luffy wants to compete in all events, it takes the whole crew telling him it isn't allowed before he finally relents. Eventually, they decide that Nami, Robin and Usopp are going to take part in the race. Sanji, Zoro and Run will take part in the ball game, and finally Luffy is going to be fighting Foxy. So, this leaves Chopper sitting out of the games.

After they've turned their roster in, the rules are then explained. The race will be only one lap around the island, with both teams using only three barrels and two oars to fashion a raft out of. No easy task, even for a skilled shipwright, but one Usopp tackles head on. In the end, he produces a decent raft for them, and they float it out to the starting position.

"Alright!" exclaims the announcer, a man this time. "Both teams are ready, and have been given an Eternal Pose to make sure they can find their way back to the island in case they sail too far out! By the way...gun, sword, cannon, any weapon is permitted! The Straw Hat's competing for their crew will be Navigator Nami, Sniper Usopp, and Archeologist Robin in the Barrel Tiger! Competing for the Foxy Pirates are the lovely Porche, swordfish Fishman Capote, and star shark Monda in the Cutie Wagon!"

"Oi! You're using a fish!" Nami complains, pointing at it. "That's cheating!"

"These no rule against it, you know!" Porche retorts. A gunshot signals the start of the match...and apparently the start of the cheating. They've barely left the starting line before the Foxy Pirates start shooting, aiming at the ship and the Straw Hats.

"Bastards!" Sanji shouts, charging in the direction of the men firing. Interference from the audience is to be expected. It's a game played amongst pirates but that doesn't cool his anger in the slightest. Sanji goes bowling into them and delivering kick after kick. He finishes the last one off just in time to watch Nami, Robin and Usopp go blasting past Porche, Capote and Monda, taking the lead. This doesn't last long unfortunately, thanks to the shark pulling their opponents.

Robin, however, kept them in the race by using a number of arms sprouted from her hand to grasp the Foxy crew's raft, and tow themselves behind it. This comes to an end, however, when Captoe notices and takes a swing at her arms with a sword. He ends up missing, and takes a tumble into the water, which allows them time to take the lead once more, this time heading straight into a coral field. While the Foxy crew has trouble navigating the currents, Nami sails them through with ease.

Seeing this, Foxy decides it's time to run interference again. His tricks are...well, poor to say the least. From smoke screens, to false signs, and even a poor performance asking for help as a little old lady, none of it slows down Nami. They even use a few dirty tricks of their own when the Foxy crew catches up; Usopp uses his sling shot to knock down some huge bamboo that knocks out Capote.

"They're nearing the finish line!" Sanji cheers. "Nami, Robin! You two are always so cute~!"

"Go! You can win!" Luffy bellows, laughing. Seeing the Foxy crew gaining on them Run decides it's time to interfere as well. After all, it's only fair since they're using a shark...right? He steps forward close to the shore and looks pointedly at the shark, Monda. It's frenzied swimming comes to a sudden, and adrupt halt, much to almost everyone's immediate confusion.

"What are you doing, Monda?!" Porche yells, running to the front of the raft. "You can't stop now! I know you're tired but we're gonna win!" A single light burst of Haoshoku was all it took to paralyze the shark with fear. It isn't surprising to Run. It's not like it's a Sea King, after all. It slowly turns it's head in the direction of the red head, who stands with arms crossed while staring down at it. "What are you looking at? Come on! I know you can do it! Here! How about a kiss to keep you going?"

"So, you guys are pretty tough, huh?" Foxy shouts, appearing from out of the crowd. "Even so, it won't matter! Slow-Slow Beam!" Porche leans forward and actually kisses the shark on the snout. He sails forward like a rocket seconds later, his fear apparently forgotten entirely.

"Yeah! Go, go!"

"Haaah...gimmie a break," Run growls, watching the Foxy crew sail past a suddenly slowed Nami, Usopp and Robin straight to the finish line. "I should've knocked her out while I had the chance..."

* * *

While still grappeling with their loss, and his own failure, Run returns to the center of the small festival with the rest of the crew to await Foxy's pick of their crew. Foxy first takes the time to explain how they lost. He tells them that it's the result of his Devil Fruit abilites, which robs whatever he uses it on of it's speed. It will retain all of it's strength but the speed will be reduced for several precious seconds.

"Now, for the long awaited spoils!" calls the announcer, as Foxy takes center stage accompanied by a dull roll. "It's time to claim one member of the opposing crew!"

"Alright, the first person I want is...YOU! Tony Tony Chopper!" Foxy explains. "The ship's doctor!" They can do nothing but watch as Chopper is pulled, kicking and screaming straight to Foxy. Every one of their instincts demands that they give chase, and take him back from them...but they can't. It's the name of the game.

"What a rare creature! And so soft!"

"Chopper!" Luffy screams.

"So, that bastard was after Chopper the whole time," Sanji growls. "I guess he is the rarest of animals...maybe he's a collector of rare pets?"

"Hopefully not a collector of rare pelts," Robin murmurs.

"Guys!" Chopper cries. "I only set sail so I could be with you! No, I don't want this! Luffy! I only set sail because you asked me to! I don't want to go with these guys! No, no, no! I'm the Straw Hat Pirates' ship doctor, Tony Tony Chopper! I don't want to go with them!" Zoro growls and slams the bottle he's been drinking from into the ground.

"Chopper!" Zoro screams. "Quit your bitching! This is the life you chose! No one else is to blame if you end up dying somewhere. We agreed to this, and everyone did their best. No real pirate would sympathize with your tears. A real man...would just roll up his sleeves and quietly watch the rest of contest silently!"

"How can you say that?! Don't you care how he feels?!" Nami demands. Chopper wipes his face, and then plops down on the chair.

"Alright!" Chopper calls. "Do anything you like with me...!"

The next game is the Groggy Ring in which Zoro, Sanji and Run will be participating. They have to win this match, and take back Chopper or they'll never be able to. Putting that out of their minds, the three walk into the middle of their playing field calmly. "Oi, cook, you can drop out if you want," Zoro tells Sanji. "It's not like we need your help."

"Why don't you?" Sanji counters. "What good are you going to be, loser?" This spawns an argument between the two of them all while the announcer explains the rules. It seems simple enough. Knock the opposing teams ball into their own goal, and win the match. The twist comes in when the announcer tells them that one of them has to be the 'ball' for their team. When some of the Foxy pirates approach them, Zoro points at Sanji immediately, and they place the ball on his head.

"Here's your ball," one of the men says.

"Who the hell made you boss, moss head?! You be the ball!"

"Now, introducing the undefeated kings of the Groggy Ring!" calls the announcer. Three huge men slowly enter the ring, with the tallest of them towering above even the others on his team. "The famous Groggy Monster's have taken the field! At the front is 'Full Dash' Hamburg! He's followed by 'Tackle Machine' Pickles! Last but not least is Big Pan the wotan; he's a half fishman half giant! Their victory is certain!"

"Haaaah...how do they fit on the ship?" Run asks, staring up at them. It doesn't take a genious to figure out which one of them is going to be the 'ball' for their team.

"Our mighty Groggy Ring combatants have taken the field! Opposing them is the violent cook who kicked the interference squad: Cook Sanji! The pirate hunter with a bounty of sixty million: Roronoa Zoro! And lastly, the Straw Hat's First Mate with a bounty of one hundred million: 'Red' Run!"

"This is what they called us out here for?" asks Pickles. "What a laugh! Right, Big Pan?" He's silent for several long seconds before raising a hand up to his ear slowly.

"Huh?" grunts Big Pan.

"Alright! Let's start the game!" calls the announcer. "Remember, the rules are you have to knock your opponent into their ring to win the match! Everyone take your places!"

"Oi, oi...I don't care what you say, I ain't gonna be the damn ball," Sanji tells them. "You do it." The two begin arguing again, and Run heaves a heavy sigh in response. "Obviously, they're only one way to solve this- Not it."

"Not it."

"Not- Damn it!" growls Run. "This thing looks so stupid! I refuse to wear it! Sanji! Put it back on!"

"No way, Red," Sanji counters. "You lost fair and square." Eventually, after a bit of arguing, they all take their spots to start the match. Before they start, however, Zoro and Run are told to hand over their swords as weapons aren't allowed. It appears it's going to be a contest of physical strength and agility...a fact that brings a grin to Run's face. A loud blow of a whistle signals the of the match, and Pickles goes charging forward at Run.

"Sling-"

"Sea King's Rush!" Run exclaims, knee smashing into the man's forehead. Pickles' mind goes blank, and he's thrown straight back into the stomach of Big Pan with so much force that it knocks the wotan off his feet and right back into the goal behind him. Everyone except for the Straw Hat Crew stands in silence, mouth's open and staring at the field.

"That it?" Zoro asks, yawning. "What a let down."

"We didn't even get to do anything," Sanji adds. A whistle suddenly blows, signaling the end of the match...

* * *

After leaving the field, everyone gathered around center stage to await Luffy's decision. While many of them were nervous, it's not like they had any other choice in mind beside Chopper. So, after picking him, their doctor comes sprinting back to the crew, crying tears of joy the whole way. "Thank you!" Chopper cries, actually clinging to Run's leg. "I just knew you guys would win me back!" He reaches down and pats him on the head in response, even allowing him to dry his face on his pants leg without saying a word.

"That guy sure is strong," one of the Foxy pirates whispers. "He knocked out Pickles and Big Pan in a single shot."

"We should have made him our first pick," adds another.

"Alright!" calls the announcer. "The last battle ended with an unexpected win by the Straw Hat Crew! But now it's time for the much anticipated...Combat Round!" While the battlefield is supposed to be picked by 'chance' was very apparent that it was rigged as the battlefield ended up being the Foxy Pirates own ship. Since it was fairly obvious that rules didn't apply to this contest, none of them bothered to raise any issue and instead just let it be. The whole crew tries to impress upon Luffy the importance of this final battle, and then sends him off with Usopp to get ready.

"Let's go find some seats," Run tells Robin. "I wanna be in the front row when Luffy beats this guy down." Everyone crowded into the large stands set up by the Foxy Pirates to watch the match. When everyone is in their seats, and both contestants are ready, the two make a huge entrance on the ship...with Luffy wearing a huge fake afro. "Haaah...really?" Robin giggles a bit and then leans gently against him. They began the match moments later, with Luffy seeking to end it in a single punch. Unfortunately, Foxy's Slow-Slow Beam struck his fist.

Luffy takes a few blows from him before his arm finally returned to normal speed. His Devil Fruit abilites certainly seem to be a pain in the ass, to say the least. When Luffy gives chase, Foxy again resorts to the same dirty tricks he'd used during the race. Caught in a smoke screen, Luffy swings wildly at anything that looks like Foxy. "Luffy, don't fall for his tricks!" Run screams. "Just be patient and use your head!" His words don't seem to reach his Captain, as the man swings again and again while surrounded by the smoke.

Foxy ambushes him during his wild swinging, catching him in with his Slow-Slow Beam before closing the gap and delivering a withering number of punches to a slowed Luffy. When the beam wears off, it seems to catch up with him all at once, the punches throwing him straight back and nearly tossing him off the ship. Luffy has barely recovered before Foxy pulls and hidden lever and sends them both in the bowels of the ship. It feels like an eternity of waiting before an explosion signals their return.

When the smoke clears, it reveals Luffy lying face down on the deck...although, he doesn't stay down for long. He pulls himself up again, and again every time he's knocked down. Luffy has absolutely no intention of giving up or being defeated. Seeing this, Foxy pulls out what they assume to be his final move. Luffy is struck with his Slow-Slow Beam, and the man fires a cannon ball which he does much the same to before tossing some kind of wooden glider on top of.

"Oi, Luffy!" Sanji screams. "He used the beam on you before the cannon ball! You need to dodge as soon as you can move!" The moment Luffy can move, he does. He attempts to dodge but he still ends up being hit by the man's punch, and then by the glider which exploded on contact. "Luffy!" The smoke slowly clears on deck, and reveals a badly beaten but still standing Luffy. Foxy rushes him, the two exchanging a number of blows almost faster than they can see.

"Damn it! Take this!" growls Foxy. "Slow-Slow...Beammm...!" The beam has somehow been reflected back at him...and the reason is revealed when Luffy opens his hand. A shard of what looks like a broken mirror is clutched tightly.

"It's over."

"Gum-Gum...Flail!" Luffy bellows, whirling his fist around before smashing into the man's face again and again. Usopp suddenly jumps up, and begins leading a count down from the front of the stands.

"Eight...seven...six...five...four...three...two...one!" cheers Usopp, watching as Foxy finally returns to normal speed, goes smashing through the railing of the ship and crashes into the water, ending the match...


	31. Onward to Water Seven!

Hello, everyone! It's finally time for probably my favorite arc in the whole series! I hope that you all are going to enjoy reading this as much as I'm going to enjoy writing it! If you do, don't be afraid to let me know! I always respond to questions! So, without further ado, here it is! The beginning of the Water Seven Arc~!

* * *

The Davy Back Fight is over, and it's a victory for the Straw Hat's! Luffy had collapsed almost immediately after being crowned the victor, and so Run drug him back to shore and laid him down for Chopper to administer treatment. "Geez, could you have been anymore reckless?!" Usopp complains, prodding an unconscious Luffy. "You had us all worried!"

"Stop poking him!" Chopper demands. "He's seriously injured!" Just as Chopper has finally gotten Usopp to stop poking him, their Captain twitches and then leans up suddenly. "Oh! He's awake!"

"The game! How'd the game end?!" Luffy demands, looking between all of their faces. "I thought I won...it wasn't just a dream, right?!"

"Relax, Cap'n," Run tells him. "You won it for us." Luffy grins and collapses backwards onto the ground laughing. Hearing someone approaching, all of them look over at Foxy who stops several feet away. "Our Captain is resting, what do you want?"

"Have you forgotten the rules?" Foxy asks. "You won. So choose." Luffy sits up again, and turns to face him.

"Give us your roger, then," Luffy tells him simply.

"What?! You'd strip us of our pride just like that?!"

"Aah, you can keep your sail. I don't need it, and you've got places to go, after all." Seeing that their sail bares the symbol on their roger, Luffy simply paints a...well, a terrible picture of his own on there to make sure that they can keep their sails. After taking their roger, Luffy turns away from all of them are starts walking away from the shore while the Foxy Pirates sail off, shouting the whole way. The rest of the crew follows, walking all the way back to the old man that Luffy, Chopper and Usopp had met before.

The man is waiting for their return with a very tall white horse. "Oi, old guy, here," Luffy says, thrusting the flag out towards him. "I kicked their butts."

"Ohh, you're really hurt," Tonjit says.

"Aah, this is nothing new!"

"Haaah...so that's the reason you accepted their challenge," Run says.

"I doubt he would've turned it down anyway," Nami adds. Luffy explains to them that he originally accepted the challenge because Foxy actually shot Tonjit's horse Shelly. He also tells them that he's been seperated from his people because he made some bamboo stilts...although, they're confused by that. "So, if you've been separated we can give you a life to them."

"No, there's no reason to hurry," Tonjit tells them. "You already went through so much trouble for me. So, since you're all here how about I treat you to something?" The man goes running off towards the door of his house, and comes to a sudden stop when he runs into someone. "Huh?!" All of them go running around towards his door quickly, and find a man in a suit standing in front of it with an eye-mask covering his eyes. The man is so tall that even Run has to look up at him.

"What is that?!" Luffy demands.

"Has he been here the whole time?" Nami asks. The man, who appears to be sleeping standing up, twitches and then suddenly raises his eye mask. Hearing someone fall, Run looks back at Robin. She's sitting on the ground, staring at the man as if she's seen a ghost. Shivers rack her body, and she's broken out in a sweat.

"Oi, what's wrong?" Run questions her. "Robin!"

"You sure have grown into a fine young woman...Nico Robin," the man says, putting everyone on guard immediately.

"You know this guy?"

"Yes. Navy Admiral Aokiji." Run's brow furrows, and he grips the tsuka of Kitetsu tightly. He's prepared to use Haki at a moments notice...although, he isn't sure if it will actually do any good. "In the entire Navy, there are only three officers who hold the rank of Admiral. Akainu, Aokiji and Kizeru...there's only one above them, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. This man is one of three considered to be the World Governments ultimate power-houses."

"Why is someone like that here?!" Usopp demands. "Go somewhere else!" He suddenly turns his attention to Nami, and she shrinks slightly under his gaze.

"Oi, oi, it's another super sexy lady," Aokiji says. "Are you free tonight, miss?"

"What's the big idea you lanky freak!" Sanji shouts.

"Aah, jeez, just relax." Aokiji holds his hands up as if in surrender. "I'm just taking a walk. There's no need for such hostility. What I'm saying is that you guys are...aaah...uh...I forgot. Oh, well."

"What's with this guy! Are you sure you're not mistaking him for someone else?" Usopp questions Robin, pointing at the man. "There's no way someone like him is a Navy Admiral!"

"Don't judge someone based on their appearance," Run tells him simply, not releasing his grip on Kitetsu or relaxing. The man suddenly groans, and then actually lies down on the ground in front of them, using the jacket of his suit as a pillow.

"Anyway, I don't intend to arrest or capture you guys," Aokiji says. "I just came to check the whereabouts of Nico Robin who disappeared. Just as I thought, she's been traveling with you guys. I have to report this to Headquarters so that they can recalculate the bounty for your crew. With the addition of Nico Robin it's two-hundred and seventy million plus seventy-nine million that equals...well, it's a lot."

"Gum-Gum-" Luffy is swarmed by Sanji and Usopp, who try to keep him from attacking the admiral.

"What the hell, Luffy?!"

"Don't go picking a fight with this guy!"

"Are you telling me to stand idly by and let him take Robin without a fight?!" Luffy screams. "I refuse!"

"Oi, oi, I already told you," Aokiji mumbles, holding a palm out. "I'm not here to do anything."

"If you're just out for a walk, then get lost," Run tells him bluntly. "Go take your walk somewhere else."

"Fine, fine, I'll leave." Aokiji slowly stands, picking his jacket up off the ground as he does. "But I heard something while I was napping. You." He points at Tonjit. "Pack your things and get ready to move." They attempt to explain to the lazy admiral that moving is going to be impossible because of Shelly's wounded leg. "Aah, it won't be a problem. Come on..."

* * *

It took them a while to pack everything up and load it up onto a sleigh for Tonjit before pulling it to the coast. But when they were done, the man had everything he owned loaded up, and could be moved at a moments notice. "So, basically, when low tide comes around once a year, a road appears and you take it to the next island, right?" Aokiji says, approaching the edge of the water.

"A-Ah, that's right," Tonjit tells him.

"So, what are you going to do?" Luffy asks, watching him. "Are you gonna swim while pulling this stuff?"

"Now, that would be impossible," Aokiji says, dropping his jacket to the ground beside him. "Stand back a bit." He crouches at the waters edge and dips his hand into the water. He's barely been there more than a few seconds before a huge Sea King surfaces, maw opened and lunging for Aokiji. "Ice...Age!" In an instant, the surface of the sea and the Sea King are frozen solid.

"A Devil Fruit," Run mutters. "What amazing strength."

"That's the power of an Admiral," Robin whispers. "The power of the Ice-Ice Fruit." He turns and walks back up the bank towards them.

"That should last at least a week," Aokiji tells Tonjit. "So you can take your time. Good luck finding your village." Tonjit thanks him, and all of the Straw Hat Crew before pulling the sleigh and Shelly off across the frozen sea towards the next island. Naturally, Luffy, Usopp and Chopper couldn't pass up the chance to have a little fun on the ice before heading back up onto shore. Aokiji sits several meters away from them, watching them intently. "Hmm. You know...how do I put it...you're a lot like your grandfather, Monkey D. Luffy."

"G...Gramps...?!"

"And you." He looks pointedly at the red head. "You look a lot like your father, Shanks."

"So," Run drawls, eyes narrowing. "You know about that, huh."

"Well, it's not like it's hard to figure out. Anyone who's met the man could tell the two of you are related." Aokiji sighs softly. "I've been thinking...maybe you should all just die here. The government is still taking you guys lightly, but after analyzing the situation I can tell that you're a very determined group of individuals. Your group currently consists merely of a group of rouges but I've little doubt that as time passes, you'll grow to become a considerable threat. Between the issuing of your first bounties to present time, your growth has been nothing short of extraordinary. You're especially dangerous now that Nico Robin's presence aboard your ship has been confirmed."

"So you came all this way to take Robin after all!" Luffy accuses. "I'm gonna send you flying, you bastard!"

"The size of a bounty is not just an indication of your strength. It also reflects the amount of danger you pose to the World Government. That's why you had a seventy-nine million Beli bounty on your head at only eight years old, Nico Robin." His gaze lands on Robin, who shies away from him, actually moving closer to Run in her attempts. "Honestly, I'm surprised you survived as a child. You betrayed people, used them after gaining their favor, and ran away before you were discovered each time." His eyes suddenly turn to the red head. "But through all of that the World Government never gave chase for fear of retaliation from 'Red Hair' and his crew."

Run actually smirks a bit in response. It's only natural that the World Government would be wary of provoking a Yonko, especially one as powerful as Shanks. The only one brave enough to actively seek him out for a challenge is Mihawk, after all. Well, Mihawk, and his son, apparently.

"But...now that I've confirmed you're no longer connected to them...not directly, at least; now there's no need to worry anymore. Honestly, you should be more worried about yourselves than this woman. In the not-so-distance future, you'll find yourselves regretting getting involved with her."

"Fuck off," Run growls. "Like any of us give a shit about her past."

"I see. You really did a good job befriending them."

"If you're going to arrest me then just go ahead and do it!" Robin demands, crossing her arms. "Treinta Fleurs!" Arms suddenly sprout from the man's body, gripping him tightly.

"How disappointing. I thought you would be smarter than this."

"Clutch!" He's snapped back sharply, bending at an unnatural angle before suddenly shattering into ice, and falling in pieces to the ground. Loud crackling and popping fills the air, as the man suddenly reforms from the broken ice slowly.

"That was harsh." Aokiji reaches down, and pulls out a chunk of grass before tossing it into the air and blowing on it. From his frozen breath, and the trapped grass, a jagged blade is created. "Ice Saber." He grips it tightly as he stares down at her. "I wasn't planning to kill you but..." He raises the make-shift weapon, and then brings it down towards Robin and Run. The loud clashing of weapons sounds as blades meet. A spray of chipped ice and water peppers Zoro and Run.

"Don't butt in, Zoro," Run tells him.

"No way you're taking him all to yourself, Red," Zoro retorts, grinning.

"Slice...Shoot!" Sanji exclaims, appearing above them and kicking the saber out of Aokiji's hand.

"And now you too, cook?" Run huffs.

"Gum-Gum...Pistol!" Luffy bellows, a fist sailing past them right into Aokiji's stomach. The Admiral narrows his eyes in response and suddenly kicks the red head in the stomach, tossing him straight back. The harsh sound of ice crackling followed by screaming sounds as Aokiji freezes parts of their bodies. Luffy and Zoro's arm and Sanji's leg are all suddenly, frozen completely solid with the trio falling to the ground in pain. Run rolls onto his stomach and quickly pushes himself up.

"Oh, no!" Chopper screams, panicking. "We have to treat them! We have to treat them right away! If we don't they could end up losing a limb!"

"You may have come across some good friends, but you're still you, Nico Robin!" Aokiji exclaims, lunging towards her.

" **ROBIN!** " Run screams, rushing towards the two. To his utter horror, he's too late to do anything other than watch Robin be frozen solid. " **YOU FUCKER!** "

"Don't yell, she'll live if you defrost her carefully." He turns to face the red head. "But her body is incredibly fragile right now. If it's broken, she'll die. For instance..." He raises his fist, and Run goes rushing forward immediately. "...if I punch her!" His fist meets nothing but air, and he slowly turns his gaze down, finding the red head holding the Robin statue in a strange back-bend. Aokiji narrows his eyes in irritation and raises his foot straight up before bring it down towards the two.

"Yoink!" Usopp screams, running by and snatching Robin out of Run's hands. The foot comes down, and Run blocks it a forearm.

"Good job, Usopp!" Nami cheers.

"Chopper! Usopp! Nami!" Run screams, shoving Aokiji's foot off and rolling away quickly. "Get everyone back to the ship! Start treating them!"

"Run!" Luffy calls, clutching his frozen arm.

"Just go, Luffy!" Run slowly stands, and faces off with Aokiji. "I'll take care of things here, and then I'll catch up." Usopp, Chopper and Nami gather everyone up and go running back to the ship, all while Aokiji watches. "Now, then. Let's you and I settle this. Man to man."

"Man to man, eh? Well, I was trying to avoid killing you," Aokiji says, scratching the back of his neck. "Because the World Government doesn't want to purposely provoke a Yonko...and neither do I, honestly. But I guess there isn't going to be any way around it. Just so you know...a fight with me is going to be a fight to the death."

"Sounds good to me." Run cracks his knuckles loudly. Rather than wait for Aokiji to make the first move, Run rushes the man. "Sea King's Bite!"

"Didn't you learn before? That's not gonna-" Seconds before he's struck, Aokiji watches his arm turn black from fist all the way up to elbow. The strike to his gut robs him of his breath and sends him sliding back across the grass. Aokiji presses a hand to his throbbing stomach with a grimace. "Busoshoku Haki, eh? No wonder you seemed so confident. I guess I can't underestimate you." Run smirks in response.

"Good. Wouldn't want this to be boring, Aokiji."

"But...you're mistaken if you think..." Both his arms are suddenly coated in the same Haki. "...you're the only one who can use it." Run rushes forward again, and both raise their fists.

"Then let's see who's is stronger, then, huh?!" Their fists collide squarely, knuckles griding against one another. The sound is like thunder, loud enough to cause both of their ears to ring...and both recoil sharply, forced to take a step back as the shock wave of two strong Haki meeting blasts a small hole in the ground between them.

"Your Haki is nothing to sneeze at, I'll give you that. But..." Run winces slightly as pain radiates up his whole arm. His knuckles are split and bleeding, and his wrist is throbbing like it's broken. "...you haven't reached Red Hair's level just yet. Which is all the more reason I should kill you now. Before you actually do." The red head growls, and rushes forward again, leaping the small crater as he aims for Aokiji's face.

"Sea King's Rush!" Aokiji raises both hands, blocking his knee and then gripping his leg tightly. The harsh crackle and pop of ice proceeds a hellish pain as Run's leg is frozen solid in two places. "Sea King's Lash!" Run twists in air, swinging his foot at Aokiji's temple. The Admiral releases on hand and raises it, blocking the kick with his forearm. Run twists again while falling, aiming at Aokiji's chest. "Sea King's Fang!" While his elbow should have been driven into his chest, Aokiji instead releases the red head and lunges backwards. Run drops straight down, and rolls to his feet moments.

"You're persistant...I might really have to start taking you seriously."

"You bastard!" Run rushes forward again.

"Just blindly rushing me isn't going to work." It's a barrage of punches and kicks using his unfrozen leg that he aims at Aokiji. The Admiral either dodges or blocks each one of them with ease. It's dawning on the red head that there's a reason this man is considered to be a powerhouse by the World Government. An expert in Haki and having such a dangerous Devil Fruit as his disposal...and his physical strength isn't that bad either. He ate one of Run's Haki infused punches without any trouble. Something that would have thrown anyone else straight off their feet succeeded in moving him back a bit.

An arcing kick causes the Admiral to step back sharply, and Run turns, pivoting on his ankle and stepping in. "Sea King's Roar!" Should and elbow smash into Aokiji's chest and his steps back slightly. Both hands suddenly come up, gripping his shoulders and pulling him in.

"I'm gonna end this now. Ice Time." Ice slowly begins to encase the red head, who struggles for a moment before suddenly growling. A powerful blow to the ribs catches the Admiral off guard, and he arches slightly on the opposite direction. Over the popping and crackling filling the air, Aokiji and Run hear another gentle 'crack!' accompany the blow. A satisfied smirk appears on Run's face seconds before he is finally frozen. Aokiji steps back, pressing a hand to his ribs. "Hmm...talk about spiteful. Even a dying animal wouldn't lash out so fiercely." He drops down to sit cross legged and stare the the frozen red head.

"Man to man...he actually tricked me. I guess I can't go attacking the rest of the crew now." After several moments Aokiji stands and sighs. "You're not as far away from your father as you believe...and I should shatter you now before you manage to gather more strength and follow in his footsteps." Again he sighs. "But...I guess I owe you and your Captain a favor. You helped in the fight against Crocodile, after all." Aokiji turns away from the frozen red head and walks off calmly. "Good bye, Run..."

* * *

She's called back to the world of the living by warmth and gentle rocking. A strange combination, really. Robin's eyes snap open, and she sits up sharply. A cursory glance around the room confirms that she's no longer on that island, and instead she's back on the Merry. "You're awake," calls a voice, earning her attention. Robin looks over quickly, finding Run sitting in a chair beside her bed. He's changed his clothes. A white shirt left half unbuttoned and black pants gathered below the knee. It looks good on him. "I'm-" She casts the blanket back and quickly stands to cross the room. "Robin?"

She practically throws her arms around him, and leans in to kiss him, and action her returns whole-heartedly. Her lips are full and warm against his own, and he draws her into his lap without a second thought. When she finally pulls back, her lips are slightly swollen...and it looks like she might cry any moment. "Hey," Run whispers, voice low and soft. "You're fine, alright?" His hands come up, and gently cup her face staring into her eyes.

"I was worried," Robin tells him, covering his hands with her own.

"I was, too. When you didn't wake up right away, I..." Run trails off, and Robin squeezes his hands softly.

"I was just resting."

"Sleeping on the job now, huh?" There's a huge commotion of deck and both chuckle before turning to look at the door. "I guess we should go let everyone know you're fine." Robin sighs and slowly climbs out of his lap, and Run stands, following her out of the room. Outside, the whole crew falls silent when they spot them.

"Robin!" Nami calls, staring at the door.

"Aaaah! Robin!" Sanji cheers, waving at her and grinning like a fool. Chopper comes running over to the two, looking up at them from the lower deck.

"Robin!" Chopper says quickly. "How are you feeling? Any chills?"

"I'm feeling much better," Robin tells him. "Thank you, my excellent doctor." Chopper does a little dance, happy at being praised by Robin.

"There's no need to rush, Robin," Nami assures her. "Not everyone can recover as fast as that idiot." Run ignores her and leans against the deck railing.

"Robin, shall I make something that can warm you up?" Sanji asks her. "Do you have an appetite?"

"I wouldn't mind a cup of coffee." Sanji immediately goes running towards the kitchen, and Robin follows at her own pace. Run lets her go, and heads to the bow of the Merry where Zoro is standing and eating something Sanji made for all of them.

"Robin alright?" Zoro asks in between bites.

"She's a little shaken but fine otherwise," Run assures him. Zoro pauses for a moment before stuffing the last bit of whatever it is he's eating into his mouth. "Hopefully we don't run into him again until we've had a chance to strengthen ourselves further. I have a feeling he won't let us go so easily next time." The two stand in silence for several minutes, simply staring at the horizon before Run notices something. "Oi, what's that?"

"Huh? It looks like...a frog?!"

"It's doing a front crawl!"

"Oi, Luffy!" Zoro turns and goes running to the railing and peers down to the lower deck. "There's a frog doing the front crawl! It's over on your side! Take a look! "

"What? Oh, come on," Usopp mutters. "There's no way a frog could- What the?! It is! It's doing a front crawl!"

"Follow that frog!" Luffy demands, jumping up. They go scrambling across the deck, grabbing the oars, and furling the sails. They begin paddling rapidly, chasing after it. The change in course is so rapid and dramatic, that it doesn't take more than a few seconds before Nami throws the kitchen door open and storms out.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Nami screams. "Who said you could change course without asking me?!"

"Nami, there's a huge frog with scars all over it's body! We're gonna catch it, roast it and eat it!" Sanji immediately tells them that the best way to eat frog is dredged in flour and deep fried but only after soaking in white wine to remove the sliminess. Nami peers through a pair of binoculars.

"There really is a frog...huh? There's a lighthouse ahead."

"Never mind that, which way did the frog go?"

"Toward the lighthouse," Robin tells them, stepping out of the kitchen.

"Robin!" Nami complains.

"If the Captain says he's going what choice do we have?" They continue rowing as quickly as possible but come to sudden stop when the Merry strikes something, sending them sprawling across the deck. Everyone quickly jumps to their feet looking around.

"Did run aground?" Run asks. "Oi, Zoro, see anything?"

"Nothing," Zoro replies. "Nothing but sea." The loud clanging of a bell gives all of them pause, all heads looking around for the sound. An even louder whistle sounds twice, and everyone turns to look at something sailing towards them.

"Go back, go back!" Nami demands. "Turn one-hundred and eight degrees!" The immediately grab the oars, and begin paddling, moving as quick as the can and the strange ship closes in on them. At the last possible second, they break free and avoid it by the skin of their teeth. "What was that thing?!"

"It was puffing out smoke!" Chopper notes, panting like he's run a marathon. "How could something like that travel on the water?"

"Oi, oi! Granny!" screams a voice from a strange station several meters from their ship. "Pirates! Pirates are here!" They turn to find a little blond girl screaming while standing in front of the building. A woman comes walking out of it...only to trip over her own two feet and fall down. Clutching a bottle in one hand, and having a flushed face, it's pretty obvious that she's drunk. In an effort to sober her up, and prevent her alerting any Marines in the vacinity, Sanji whips up some food for them.

"Ohh, Paille, huh?" the old woman grunts. "Tastes good with alcohol."

"So good! My name is Chimney, and this is our cat Gonbe, and Granny Kokoro."

"You guys aren't train robbers, are you?"

"No," Luffy tells her bluntly. "I'm Luffy, the man who'll be King of the Pirates!"

"Say, that thing that passed is a steam ship, right?" Nami asks, looking back in the direction it disappeared in. "How can it sail with a shape like that?" Chimney giggles in response, and tells her that it's something called a 'Sea-Train' and that it's the only one in the whole world. It's apparently called the 'Puffing Tom' and it uses a steam driven engine to turn paddles and rides on a track just below the surface of the water. She also lets them know that the frog that was struck by the train is called Yokozuna, and that he challenges the train every day in a contest of strength.

"Explains why he didn't flee," Run mutters. "I can respect that."

"Don't compliment him!" Chimney complains."We're having real problems! He's broken a few rail guards, and causes the passenges trouble!"

"Well, in that case, I'm not going to eat him then!" Luffy announces, grinning. "I'm not gonna eat a fighter!"

"You shouldn't think about eating a frog in the first place!" Nami retorts.

"If ya don't mind my askin', where are you all heading anyway?" Kokoro questions him. "From here you can reach the town of Spring Queen, St. Poplar...the gourmet town, Pucci...or the Carnival town, San Faldo. They're all fun places to visit. If you work for the government there's a seperate, special train."

"The gourmet town!" Luffy bellows, drooling.

"No!" Nami screams. "Since we're on our own ship we won't take the train. We'll just follow the Log Pose. It's pointing East of here."

"Oh, I see," begins Kokoro, turning her bottle up and taking a long drink. "It must be Water Seven, then. The train that just passed was coming from there. It's called the 'City of Water', and it's a nice place. Above all, it's a place that's made a name for itself with it's shipyard. The ships they build are even the favorites among the World Government."

"So, then, there's got to be some pretty amazing shipwrights there," Run assumes.

"Not just _some_. It's a hangout for the worlds best shipwright!"

"Alright, then!" Luffy yells. "I've decided that we're going to go there and find a shipwright to join our crew!"

"Oh, so you're going to go? Well, then, hold on a sec." Kokoro stands on unsteady legs and heads back into the station house before returning with a map and a letter. "Here. It's a simple map, and a letter of reference. Give that to a guy named Iceburg and ask him to fix your ship real good."

"Yahoo! Thanks, Granny! We really owe you one!" They all return to the Merry, raring to go to Water Seven.

"We're going to be heading back there after our shift is over. If I run into you guys, I'll treat you to a drink at my favorite bar!" Kokoro pauses to take another drink from her bottle. "It'll take about a week for your Log Pose to reset, so just take your time and relax."

"Alright! Thanks again, Granny! Let's go! Let's go find a shipwright...!"

* * *

The wind is in their favor and it seems they're going to make good time. So, Luffy, Sanji, Usopp, Zoro and Run have gathered around to discuss their search for a shipwright. "Just leave everything to me, Luffy," Sanji assures him. "I'll make sure to find an incredibly beautiful woman."

"It's a shipwright we're talking about, idiot," Luffy retorts. "It's gotta be a big guy! Like a mountain, and five meters tall!"

"If he's too big how can he live on the ship?" Run counters. "Luffy, at the end of the day the only thing that matters is their skill. A skilled shipwright is key to the survival of the ship, after all. So, whether it's a man or a woman, big or tall, it doesn't really matter."

"Exactly," Zoro agrees. "What really matters is skill, and if they're crazy enough to sail with a pirate crew." While they continued to discuss what they were looking for in a shipwright, Nami called to them all and told them that she was going to give them some money to spend during the week they spend at Water Seven. Afterwards, they went about their business, milling around on deck while waiting. It was Zoro, who is standing at the bow, who spotted their destination. "Oi! That's it, isn't it?"

Everyone ran to the bow to have a look at the city. Just calling the place 'amazing' wouldn't really do it justice. The city is nothing short of magnificant. Outside of it are countless ships, and workshops all of which are no doubt filled with skilled shipwrights. It has giant walls, each one with a huge canal spewing clear water out of it. There are multiple levels, each one packed with houses, and all leading up to a gigantic fountain spouting water thousands of feet into the air.

"What a huge fountain!" Luffy gushes, laughing wildly.

"What an industrial city," Usopp adds. "No wonder it has a sea train!" They sail closer to the city, heading for a place called 'Blue Station' right in front. Fortunately for them, a man fishing from a small skiff tells them that it's dangerous for pirates to sail so openly, and directs them to take the back canals. The back canals treat them to a beautiful view of the city, and Run notes that a great number of houses appear to be submerged. Robin explains that it was built to appear that way, so the people could live on the water.

Unfortunately, they're told by a shop-keeper that they can't just moor their ship in the harbor, and he directs them to the cape far away from prying eyes. They follow his directions, eventually arriving and dropping anchor. Run slowly furls the sails, carefully winding the rope as he does. "Oi, are you going to take all day, Red?" Zoro questions him, watching.

"I'm sorry, you wanna do this?" Run counters, tugging sharply on the rope. A loud 'crack!' sounds, and the mast suddenly snaps and falls in their direction. "Shit!" Run drops the rope and braces the mast, holding it up. "Is the Merry really coming apart at the seams?!"

"I've been wondering...why aren't the people here scared of pirates?" Nami suddenly asks.

"Haaah...maybe it has something to do with the number they see? Pirates need shipwrights, too, after all. Maybe we're just another customer to them." Run looks at the mast and then forces it back into position carefully. "It's still as heavy as I remember."

"Maybe they've got guards strong enough to deal with pirates who cause a rucus?" Robin offers.

"They probably do, considering the size of the city," Sanji agrees.

"Really?! What are we gonna do?!" Usopp demands. "This is bad!"

"Why? We're customers here, remember?" Luffy and Usopp are off the ship seconds later, running towards the city when Nami yells for them to stop. They come sliding to a stop and look back as she jumps the railing of the Merry and approaches.

"You two are coming with me," Nami tells them simply. "And you, too, First Mate." Run arches a brow and then leaps the railing of the Merry, walking after her. "We're going to take this letter of recommendation to this Iceburg man. Then we're going to ask him to repair our ship. Finally, we're going to find somewhere to cash in the gold..."


	32. Fix her! The Merry won't Sail Again!

They walk towards the city, pulling a small makeshift cart behind them with their bag of gold. "We should exchange the gold for bills quickly," Run says, walking behind the cart. Luffy looks back over his shoulder at the red head in response.

"Eh? Why?" Luffy grunts. "I want to go to the shipyard first."

"We can't walk around with all this gold," Usopp adds. "It makes me feel nervous."

"Why? Even if we change it into Beli, the value stays the same, right?"

"True, but carrying around a bag this big will attract attention. What if we run into thieves?" Luffy and Run actually laugh a bit in response. "Oi! I'm being serious here!"

"We're the thieves, Usopp!"

"He's got a point," Nami agrees. "If we change it into Beli, then we can all carry it." Apparently, this hurts Luffy's feelings who complains about them not trusting him. While Usopp and Nami agree, Run only laughs a bit in response.

"Aah! Run, come on. You're on my side, right?"

"Haaah...I don't think you'll lose it, Luffy," Run tells him. "Well, at least not on purpose."

"Aaah! That hurts me! I may not re...hm? What's this place?" Ahead of them is a set of double-doors, with a sign above them reading 'Rental Bullshop' much to their confusion. "Excuse us! Let us rent some bulls!" Luffy and Run go forging ahead.

"Pardon our intrusion." They other two yell at them and quickly follow them into the shop.

"So, you've come to rent some bulls?" asks the owner, lowering the newspaper he's been reading. "How many are you?" Upon seeing four of them, he tells them that they should be fine with two but when he notices the bag he makes it three. He seems amazed when they tell him that they followed a Log Pose here. "Since you guys are new, you've probably never seen a Yagara Bull. He explains that they're fish that swim with their heads out of the water, and they're all over town, all while dragging over two small skiffs.

Luffy wanders over the pen they're kept in, and one of them swims right up and licks his face. "Aah! You jerk! Why'd you do that?"

"He must like you. Let's get him for you. The price will be two-thousand Beli for two rentals."

"Can they move a lot of heavy stuff?"

"Of course! They're pretty strong. They can even help you move cargo. So, whatever is in that bag should be fine."

"It's gold." Luffy opens the bag to show the man, and Nami smacks him in the head as a result. Run quickly pulls it closed, and sighs heavily in response. "What's wrong? I was just being honest." The man immediately jacks the price up sky high, but Nami responds by only giving him the inital rental fee. The man doesn't seem upset in the slightest, and even tells them that their best bet for exchanging the gold into Beli would be to head downtown to the center of the ship building area. He even gives them a map to find their way...

* * *

The town is rather lively, with children playing and people going about their lives without a care in the world. The Yagara Bulls seem to know the way to get to where they're going, and take every short cut they can find through the canals of the city. Nami and Usopp ride in one of the skiffs while Luffy and Run ride with the bag of treasure. It's a counter measure to prevent themselves being robbed. After all, Luffy and Run aren't about to let themselves be robbed. The people of the city are friendly, some giving directions, and some even making a pass at Nami when they sail by.

They Yagara suddenly deviate from the path, taking them up a huge sloping canal that takes them up above the roof-tops. "Oooh! So it doesn't matter if we're going against the current!" laughs Luffy. "These guys are so cool!" They follow the winding path all the way out to a huge drop.

"L-Look!" Usopp calls, point up ahead. Run, who has been sitting on the gold back, moved to sit on the back of his seat with a grin.

"Haaah, naturally, Usopp," Run tells him. "We went up...so we have to go down, too!" Both Luffy and Run break out into laughter as they suddenly go sailing down the canal, the scenery whipping by in a blur. Luffy's hat comes off his head, and Run snatches it from the air before planting it firmly back on Luffy's head. He leans forward, wrapping an arm around his neck and holding on as they continue laughing.

"Yahoo!" cheers Luffy. "Go, go, go!" They reach the end, and suddenly run right out of canal to go sailing out into nothing but air. Nami and Usopp scream all the way until they splash back down into a canal on ground level. "Yeah, that was so cool, Run!"

"Best...ride...ever," Run agrees, sitting back on the gold with a smirk. While Nami is beside herself with anger at the Yagara, the results can't be denied. They've landed right in the middle of the shopping district which is adjacent to the ship building area, the place they have to go. The Yagara that Luffy and Run are riding suddenly takes off, pulling them towards one of the numerous food stands gathered along the canal. It seems to be after something called Water-Water Meat, which is apparently a Yagara's favorite food even though it's meant for humans. Luffy buys a huge amount, and stuffs himself while Run buys two himself.

He feeds one to the Yagara, and eats the other finding it to be incredibly delicious. The whole time they're eating Run makes note of the numerous people passing, each one of them wearing an ornate mask. Even so, he tries not to pay it much mind. From the shopping district, it's just a hop, skip and a jump to the shipyard, and once there Luffy can barely contain himself. They find themselves right in front of the shipyard, and behind a crowd gathered there. They quickly dismount the Yagara and go running up to the crowd.

They learn from one of the people, that a group of pirates was beaten up by the shipwrights. The shipwrights belong to a company called 'Galley-La' and they're admired by all the people in the city. Apparently, these shipwrights are the most skilled in all of the city. They're just the kind of people that they're looking for. However, when Usopp collapses under the weight of their gold, they're all reminded of what they have to do first. Run lifts the bag up off of their sniper and grabs his ankle before dragging him back towards the Yagara with Nami and Luffy.

The Yagara take them right to the exchange place as soon as they're on board. They walk inside, right up to the counter with Run sit carrying their spoils. The man behind the counter, safe behind a set of bars turns to face them.

"So what do you want?" he asks.

"Cash for our stuff," Luffy says bluntly, indicating the bag Run is holding. The red head drops it on the counter, and opens it for the man who flies into a panic. He goes running off, and returns several minutes later before ushering them into a private room where they spread the gold out on a table. A man appraises all of it, sweating the whole time. Run idly flips a golden coin from the loot over his knuckles again and again while waiting. Luffy and Usopp bounce on the counch across from the man. Nami just sits quietly, watching the man carefully.

"Don't tell me you think it's fake," Usopp mutters, finally having had his fill of bouncing.

"No! Far from it!" the man exclaims quickly. "I've been an appraiser for twenty-five years! I'd say it's all roughly worth...one-hundred million Beli!"

"One hundred million?! That much?!"

"I-If you accept that amount, please sign here!" He places a paper on the table quickly. "And leave your thumb print, too!" When Luffy reaches for the paper, Nami stops him quickly by slamming her foot on the table.

"Not so fast, Mr. Appraiser," Nami says. "I want to say three things. Firstly, see these two?" Nami motions to Luffy and Run. "Each of them has a one-hundred million Beli bounty on their head. Second, I don't accept the appraisal you've given. Third...if you lie again, it'll mean your head."

"I...I'm sorry...!"

* * *

"Three-hundred million Beli!" Luffy laughs, as they leave the exchange. The amount was portioned off into three brief-cases of one-hundred million each with Luffy, Usopp and Run each carrying one for safety. Unfortunately, after Luffy nearly loses one in the water, Usopp takes it from him. After Usopp and Nami give him a beating, they hop back on the Yagara and head for the shipyard. "Oi, oi...I'm a bit hurt that you guys won't let me near the money," Luffy tells them.

"Once we meet a shipwright, we'll probably need to go right back to the Merry so he can assess the repair fee," Nami says, ignoring him.

"Still, carrying around this much money is...making me nervous," Usopp tells her, looking around. They arrive back at the shipyard in short order, and quickly leave the Yagara behind. They look around, and find that the crowd has finally disappeared.

"Alright!" Luffy says seriously. "Now, let's find...aah...what was his name again?"

"Iceburg," Run tells him.

"That's right! Ice Pops!"

"Should we just go inside?" Usopp wonders. "There's a fence...but it doesn't look like it's really going to keep anyone out." Nami and Usopp look over at the shipyard, just in time to see Luffy and Run stepping up on the railing and intending to enter. They haven't even begun to cross when they find their path blocked by a long nosed man wearing a Galley-La hat.

"Hold it," he tells them. "You're outsiders, right? Let's have a talk outside. No unauthorized personel allowed, I'm afraid." They step back and the man climbs over the fence with ease. "Do you have some business here at the dock?" The man...well...he kind of looks like Usopp. Especially around the nose.

"Well, uh, we'd like to see Iceburg," Nami tells him.

"Oh? Are you customers?" Nami gives him Kokoro's letter, and the man opens it immediately. "Aah, I see. A recommendation from Granny Kokoro."

"Do you know Iceburg?"

"Of course. He's the Mayor of Water Seven. He's not just the Mayor, either. He's the president of our company, Galley-La, and also manages the Sea Train. In Water Seven, there's not a single person who doesn't know him."

"Is there anyway we can speak to him right now?"

"I suppose. Are you in that big of a hurry?" The man suddenly laughs, and removes his tool belt. "I guess you want to talk to him about having your ship repaired, right?" He squats down and begins stretching his legs. "Where did you anchor your ship?" They tell him they anchored it off of Rocky Cape. "Alright. I'll go run and have a look at your ship. It'll save some time when you speak with Iceburg, and you'll have a general price in mind for the repairs." He suddenly takes off at a dead sprint, so fast that it's hard for them to track him until he leaps straight up, clearing the wall around this part of the city as if it weren't there at all.

"Amazing!" Luffy gushes. "He's so fast!"

"Kaku does that often," a voice tells them, drawing their attention to two people standing behind them. "So often, in fact, the people call him the 'Mountain Wind'. He's one of my foremen in the ship yard." They turn to face him now.

"If he's your foreman...you must be Iceburg, then," Run asserts.

"I am. And this is my assist, Kalifa. Speaking of..."

"Yes, I've already checked," Kalifa tells him. "'Straw Hat' Luffy, 'Red' Run, 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro, and Nico Robin. Their group has four members of eight with bounties. The total amount equals three-hundred and thirty-nine million Beli. It was formed in the East Blue. They are the Straw Hat Pirates."

"I'm glad that you came. As you've already figured out, I'm Iceburg, the boss of this city. And this..." He motions to the small mouse. "...is a mouse I found earlier." Kalifa suddenly tells him that he has a great number of meetings, listing each of them off some of which seem to be quite tedious. "Don't want to."

"Very well, I'll cancel them, then."

"Oi, how is that ok?!" Usopp demands while Run laughs a bit. "You're completely unfit to be a mayor.

"Are we sure this is that guy that granny was talking about?" Luffy questions, pointing at Iceburg.

"Yes, he's 'that guy'," Nami confirms.

"How insolent!" exclaims Kalifa, seconds before launching a barrage of kicks at them. Rather than actually hitting them, a loud 'smack!' sounds and her foot comes to a dead stop. Run grips her foot tightly, glaring at her sharply as he holds it. He suddenly shoves, and rather than tumble to the ground, she rolls and bounds back to her feet. "

"Mind explaining what you're doing?" Run questions her.

"How rude do you plan on being? Referring to one of the worlds leading ship building engineers in such a disrespectful manner."

"Haaaah...let's not talk about rude, blondie. Especially not after you tried to kick all of us without warning."

"You should try not to get Kalifa angry," Iceburg says. "She becomes rather indiscriminate." Nami hands the man the letter seconds later, attempting to change the subject. Even so, the staring competition between Kalifa and Run doesn't seem like it's going to end any time soon. "So, Granny Kokoro sent you here. Alright. Since Kaku has already gone to take a look at your ship, how about I give you a tour of the factory?"

"Really? Alright!" Luffy agrees, and they begin following the man.

"Usopp, don't forget the money!" Nami calls.

"W...Wait!" Usopp screams. "The money! The money is gone!" Usopp looks around desperately before finally pointing toward the canal. "There! They have it!" Riding on _their_ Yagara are several men, and with them the two missing cases of money. "Oi! You bastards, get back here!"

"Damn it!" exclaims Run, sprinting past them. Kitetsu clatters against the ground before he dives into the water. He disappears under the surface of the canal while Iceburg and Kalifa approach Nami, Luffy and Usopp.

"Your friend...is he an idiot?" Kalifa asks, adjusting her glasses. "Does he seriously believe he'll be able to out swim a Yagara Bull?"

"Hm? Aah, well," Luffy begins, scratching the back of his head. "He's a really good swimmer." Seconds later, Run appears beside one of the Yagara. He lunges out of the water, grabs one of the men by the front of his shirt and pulls him over the edge into the water. He hauls himself up onto the Yagara and kicks the closest man in the chest, tossing him into the water before he jumps the gap to the next Yagara. Rather than fight them, he simply shoves both of them off into the water, collects the money, and then turns back towards the other. "Run used to go swimming off the coast a lot back in Foosha Village. Especially during storms."

"Your friend is a strong swimmer," says another voice, drawing their attention to a strange man with a pigeon on his shoulder. "But he might be in trouble. Look."

"Aah! That pigeon is talking!" Nami and Usopp follow the man's line of sight to someone running on a bridge above Run and the Yagara. He's being chased be people, and upon spotting Run below him he suddenly leaps the railing of the bridge.

"Rope...Action!" exclaims the man, ropes flying out from his sleeves. Run looks up sharply at the man, brows furrowing. "Sorry, but I need to borrow your Yagara for a bit! Round Turn!" The ropes fly down towards the red head, who reaches out and catches both of them. "What the?!" He yanks hard, slinging the man straight down into the water with a loud splash before hauling him in like a fresh caught fish...

* * *

A number of knots cover the man's head, who they've learned it called Paulie. Run stands several feet away from the man, who is having his ear twisted by another one of Iceburgs employees, Lucci. He busy himself trying to wring his shirt out after his swim in the canal. "I said I'm sorry, damn it!" Paulie complains. "Why do I even have to apologize? I'm the one who got beaten!"

"I'm sorry about all of this," Iceburg tells them. "We'll take care of our idiot coworker. It's good that you only roughed him up a little. These kinds of things can cause bitter feelings, you know." Run snorts in response and finally stops wringing his shirt, satisfied that it's at least not completely soaked anymore. When he starts to slip it back on her notices Kalifa staring at him and smirks.

"Enjoying the show?" Run questions her.

"That's sexual harassment," Kalifa replies simply. He snorts again in response, and buttons a few of the buttons. "Just consider yourselves lucky that you got to it in time. The Franky Family can be rather persistent, however."

"Is that who they were? The Franky Family?" She explains that they're a group of ship dismantlers who also work as bounty hunters on the side. They love to make trouble, especially with pirates. They're considered to be a public nuisance to the city. They defeat the pirates that they can, and then destroy their ship to sell any usable lumber from it.

"They didn't look that strong," Luffy mutters.

"They're just underlings," Iceburg tells him. "Whatever you do, don't underestimate their boss, Franky. Well, that's it, I guess. Let's open the doors and start the tour." The huge doors open, and they enter, following behind Iceburg as they walk through. As it turns out, Iceburg is quite popular with the craftsmen and shipwrights working for him. Each one of them briefly stops their work to offer him a greeting, or ask him to inspect their work later in the day.

"Ice Pops is pretty popular, huh?"

"Of course," Kalifa tells him. "In this city, skill is the only thing that matters. On this island, ship building has been well developed. Originally, seven companies competed against each other until he gathered them all under him to form Galley-La. His craftsmanship and passion have never changed at all." Apparently, this is all Luffy needs to hear.

"Oi, Pops! I heard that you're a pretty skilled shipwright. You wanna come be a pirate with us?"

"What the hell?!" demands Paulie. "What are you saying, you bastard?!"

"You guys don't even have a single shipwright?" Iceburg questions him.

"That's right!" laughs Luffy. "We came here to get our ship repaired and find a new crew member!"

"Its true that we have lots of shipwrights but I wonder if any would want to join a pirate crew. If you find someone who wants to join you, then you can take him if you want."

"Well, why not you, then? Don't you want to join us?"

"I can't, I'm the mayor, after all." The man from before, Kaku, suddenly comes dropping out of the sky. He lands beside them and then stretches before approaching. "Ah, Kaku. There you are. I know about the situation. How was everything?"

"Oi, anyone seen, Usopp?" Run asks, looking around.

"He was over there a minute ago," Nami tells him. A man suddenly approaches, carrying two of their suitcases with him and telling him that he found them. "What? Usopp just ran off leaving our money alone like that?!" Nami sighs heavily. "Anyway...what's it going to cost?"

"Yeah! We can pay whatever!" Luffy says. "We've got tons of money!"

"Well...you've had some tremendous journeys with her, haven't you," Kaku mutters. "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this but her scars are just too deep. Speaking frankly...your ship cannot be fixed, not even with our skills." Paulie approaches, and takes a puff on his cigar.

"It's the keel," Paulie asserts.

"Yes. It's taken significant damage."

"But we were traveling on her just fine!" Nami cries.

"Even if we did everything we can she will not make it to the next island." Run heaves a heavy sigh in response. It's a surprisingly heavy blow to hear that their ship, the Merry, which has taken them so many places and done so much has reached the end of her life. They put her through so much that they should have seen it coming...but it doesn't soften the blow at all.

"You can't fix the Merry?!" Luffy demands. "Why not?! You guys are supposed to be amazing shipwrights! If it's money, don't worry about it! We've got plenty!"

"It's not money that's the issue. No matter how much you spend, she'll never go back to how she was before. Honestly, it's impressive she made it this far considering the state that she's in."

"Do you know what a keel is, shameless girl?" Paulie asks her, surprising them. One because of the insult, and two because it's the first time he's actually addressed her. "It's the most important beam on the entire ship. It's the entire foundation of a ships framework. You could go so far as to say it's the very backbone of the ship as every board attached to it. Replacing the keel is the same as building a ship from scratch. No one can nothing can fix a broken or cracked keel. It's just a collecting of wood waiting to be scrapped at this point."

Just build us a new ship, then!" Luffy screams. "Build us another Going Merry!"

"That's no possible, either," Lucci's pigeon tells them. Again it's the same ventriloquy act out of him. "We could build you the same ship but it wouldn't be the SAME ship. There are no two ships that are the same just as there are no two trees that are the same. Even if we were to build the same ship it might look the same to everyone else but you would immediately be able to tell the difference. You would know it's a different ship!"

"Isn't there anything we can do? Can we never travel on her again?"

"That's right," Kaku confirms. "You can either do nothing and wait for her to sink...or you can take her apart now."

"This is for the best," Iceburg assures them. "You should give up and buy a new ship. You have money, and I heard that she is a caravel. Any future journeys will be tough on such a ship."

"I refuse. I don't want to buy a new ship! The Merry is our ship!"

"Luffy," Run begins. "He has a point. The Grand Line only gets more dangerous the further you go. If she's on her last legs...then it's better to let her have a peaceful end here, rather than sinking off somewhere in the middle of nowhere."

"No! I refuse to believe it! They're only saying that because they don't know how strong she is!"

"Will you be satisfied if you keep sailing on her until she sinks?" Iceburg questions him. "Good grief...you call yourself a ships Captain? We've given you our evaluation. If you decide to buy a new ship, then come again. With three-hundred million we could even build you a new state of the art ship. Kalifa." She produces a paper which she tells them is a catalog that contains new and used ships. Run reaches out to take it and she tosses it towards him. He snatches it from the air with a scowl before turning away.

One of Iceburg's men approaches, telling him that some officials from the World Government are here to see him. That's all they need to here before ducking into cover, pulling the money with them behind a large stack of logs. They chat for a few moments before Iceburg heads off with them. Run sighs and then leans back against the logs. "Oi...there's something strange," Luffy suddenly tells them, looking at the brief cases. "I noticed it when I carried them."

"What, Luffy?" Run asks.

"They're really light."

"Light?" Nami echos, before suddenly laughing a bit nervously. "Don't joke like that. They're full of money. They're no way they could be light." Out of fear, and curiosity, they crack the cases open...and scream at the top of their lungs when they find them completely empty. Paulie and Lucci step around the logs to see what the screaming is all about. "Two-hundred million Beil...gone?! Look! These...These aren't even our bags!"

"We've been robbed!"

"How noisy," complains one of the employees, a man with a strange spike coming from his hair. "Kaku, weren't you with the Franky Family today?"

"No," Kaku responds. "I've been busy all day. I haven't even seen them."

"How strange...I'm sure I saw your long nose." All three immediately run over to the man.

"Long nose?!" echos Luffy. "That's Usopp!"

"He was with the Franky Family, or rather, he was being carried away by them."

"That's a damn kidnapping!" Nami screams. "Luffy! Run! We have to find them!" The two go sprinting off without a second thought, disappearing into the crowds of the shipyard...

* * *

"How does it always end like this?!" Run demands, holding tight to Luffy's shoulders as they drop out of the sky. Their screams as they fall towards the beautiful town below are drown out by the rushing wind. Everything is coming up so fast, that they're only hope is landing in one of the canals...and Run does just that. Using Luffy's body, he angles them towards a fast approaching canal, and the two splash down, sinking nearly to the bottom before Run can stop them. He grasps Luffy's shirt and hauls them towards the surface quickly.

He breaks it with a loud gasp, and tosses Luffy up onto the street before hauling himself up. "Luffy! Run!" scream voices familier to them, drawing their attention to Sanji, Chopper and Zoro.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Sanji asks. "Where did you two even come from?"

"Shipyard," Luffy tells them. "I jumped like that shipwright while looking for Usopp."

"Are you alright?" Chopper questions him, concerned.

"Yeah. But we've gotta find Usopp! He got abducted!"

"We know," Sanji tells him. "We're on our way to their hide out. Usopp got beaten up and the money was taken. It's possible that he felt responsible and went to pick a fight with them by himself." After taking a few moments to regain his strength, Luffy stands and they head out quickly. They cut a winding path through the city to their destination and when they arrive...they find Usopp. He's beaten and bloody, and looks like he's been through the wringer more than once.

"Is he still alive, Chopper?" Run asks, staring down at their sniper.

"Yes," Chopper assures him. "He's unconscious but he's breathing. I can save him." The sound of knuckles cracking loudly sounds, and they head for the house in the distance.

"They're gonna regret this." Shanks words rattle around in Luffy and Run's heads. No one hurts one of their friends, no matter the reason, not even if it's a good one. Even from outside of the large house, they can hear the sound of a rowdy party. They're celebrating after hurting Usopp? No matter what, they're going to regret it now. A man opens the door right in front of them, and Luffy sends him straight back into the house with a single punch, smashing the door behind him.

They step into the house, standing at the entrance and scanning the room filled with people. All of them stand stock still, terror filling their faces. It might be easy for Run to simply knock them all out with Haoshoku...but teaching them a painful lesson the old fashioned way is exactly what they need. A giant of a man suddenly walks towards them, covered in armor but for his face and toting a huge axe.

"So, you came to get the money back, huh, fools?" laughs the man. "What do you think the five of you can do against everyone here? But...three of you have bounties, so I guess we'll take your heads since you brought them to us!" All of them begin laughing, as the man stands in front of them.

"Gum-Gum..." Luffy growls, swinging his fists rapidly. "...Cannon!" He strikes the man hard enough to shatter the metal armor he's wearing, and send him crashing back into the others.

"O-Oi! Let's...Let's talk this out!" one of them screams. "Let's talk about this first! Let's...Let's...Let's fire the cannons!" They all duck, and behind them several men fire cannons as them. Zoro rushes forward immediately, swords drawn.

"Three Swords Style...Raven Hunt!" Zoro exclaims, cutting the cannon balls in half faster than any of them can track. If not for the flash of light of his blades, and the separation of the cannon balls they'd never have known he'd actually swung them. Run rushes past him, gripping the tsuka of his sword as he closes the distance on the cannons.

"Sanguine Tide," Run mutters. There's a flash of light of the blade and the cannons are suddenly split into quarters, and the cannoneers sent flying.

"The...The back door! We need to escape!" cry the men, running away. Sanji drops out of the sky, planting his palm on one of their faces.

"You picked this fight," Sanji tells them. "Don't act so pathetic. Party Table...Kick Course!" He's a blur of motion, and he sends men flying with his kicks, only stopping when they start running in the opposite direction, right towards Chopper.

"Rumble!" Chopper calls, shoving a rumble ball into his mouth. "Horn Point!" He changes form, horns growing and he charges them quickly. "Roseo Colonnade!" He tosses them aside with his horns, sending several flying before he finally stops.

"W...Wait, wait, wait!" calls one of them. "I-It's the money, right?! You want the money back! The two-hundred million Beli that worthless guy had! Unfortunately, that money is no longer here! Our boss, Franky, took that money and went shopping! Since he's buying something on the black market we don't know when he'll be back. Even if you go on a rampage the money won't come-" Luffy punches him, cutting him off and sending him smashing into the far wall.

"This has nothing to do with money," Sanji admits.

"It's too late for that, anyway," Zoro adds.

"No one hurts our friends," Run tells them, tapping Kitetsu against his shoulder. " _No one_."

"We're going to completely destroy you and this place," Luffy announces.

"Fine...then...try this! Anything Shot Cannon!" A cannon blast sends out a number of random objects, which all of them dodge before rushing forward...

* * *

"Should we give chase?" Run asks, looking around at the remains of the Franky House. True to their word, they had completely razed the place, even to it's very foundation. Still standing among the remains, Sanji and Zoro exchange looks before looking at him.

"Where?" Zoro question him. "These guys really didn't seem to know where he went."

"Haaah...well, I'm open to ideas."

"Even if we strangle this Franky guy," Sanji begins, taking a drag on his cigarette. "If he spent the money, it won't do any good."

"What should we do then? If we wait here, it doesn't seem like he'll be back for a while."

"Oi! I finished giving him first aid!" Chopper screams, earning their attention. "I'd like to move him on a stretcher, so give me a little help here!" They all nod, and start walking in their direction.

"We should just head back," Sanji reasons. "Staying here won't help anything, and we left Nami alone on the ship. Plus, we have that thing with Robin to deal with." Run's brow furrows in response, and Sanji sighs. "I'll tell you about it back at the Merry, Red." They stop beside Chopper and Usopp, and look back towards Luffy. "Oi, Luffy! We're going!"

"About the ship," Luffy begins. "I've made a decision. Let's say goodbye...to the Going Merry here..."


	33. Robin's Secret! Leaving the Crew!

True to his word, after bring Usopp back to the Merry, Sanji told Run about what is going on with Robin. He tells the red head that she's been missing for most of the day without a single sign of where she might have gone off to. Run sighs a bit in response, and scratches the stubble on his jaw. Naturally, he wants to go out looking for her but they have things to deal with here first. After all, Robin doesn't need someone to hold her hand. Any kind of trouble she can get into he's sure she can get out of, as well.

Suddenly, the door to the lounge is thrown wide open, and Chopper sprints out. "Oi! He's awake!" Chopper yells. The immediately go rushing to the lounge, where they find Usopp sitting up. He's still covered from head to toe in bandages but seems to be doing much better.

"You really worried us, you know," Nami tells him, closing the door behind all of them. "What were you thinking?"

"Haaah...rushing in head first like that is a good way to get yourself killed," Run adds. "Think before you act."

"Look who's talking," Sanji mutters.

"I...I'm sorry," Usopp stutters, sniffling. "It's because I'm a good-for-nothing...I'm so ashamed, everyone." He breaks down crying seconds later. "The money was so important to us and yet I...I...I lost it! The money we got after everything we went through!"

"Usopp, you need to relax," Chopper tells him, trying to get him to lie back down.

"Then...it's like I thought. We can't get the money back."

"Well," begins Luffy. "We won't know for sure until this Franky guy comes back." Usopp lowers his head again. "But, even if we don't get it back we've still got one-hundred million Beli. So, it's alright. Don't even worry about it, Usopp." Nami yells at Luffy for disregarding the massive loss...and then apologizes to Usopp. None of them want him to feel like it's his fault, after all.

"It's fine. But...the Merry. What about the Merry? Can we still have her repaired with the one-hundred million? We're lucky that we found such a first-class shipyard. In order for her to travel the seas ahead of us, I'd like her to be a lot tougher." The room is so quiet that any of them could hear a pin drop. They aren't sure how to break the news to him. Luffy chuckles a bit sheepishly, and scratches the back of his neck.

"Well, you see...about the ship, I decided to get a new one. I'm sorry I made the decision without consulting you but it is my decision. The Merry took us this far but her journey ends here." Usopp is silent for what seems like an eternity before suddenly laughing.

"Th-This is a joke, right? Aren't you taking it a little far?" When he see's no one else is laughing he stops quickly. "Wait...is this because we don't have enough money for the repair? Because I got that two-hundred million stolen by them we're short on money, right?! The cost of a first-class shipyard would also be first-class."

"That's not it!"

"Then why?! Are you trying to be considerate of me?! Just spit it out!"

"It has nothing to do with the money being stolen!"

"Then why are you spouting stupid stuff about getting a new ship?!"

"Relax!" Zoro shouts, crossing his arms. "Arguing isn't going to solve anything."

"How can I relax when he's saying such stupid things so casually?!"

"It's not casual!" Luffy screams. "I made this decision after agonizing over it! No matter what the Merry can no longer be repaired! No matter what we do, she can't be fixed!" Usopp stares at him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open in shock. "That's what the shipwrights told us."

"And you believed them?!" Usopp slams his palms against the deck. "You believed that our ship couldn't be repaired just because they told you it couldn't?! How could you let yourself get suckered by them?! After everything we've been through, the Merry is our precious friend! Are you just going to abandon her here?! Is that how little this ship means to you, Luffy?!"

"Then, can you make an accurate assessment? We don't have a shipwright, that's why we asked them to look ar her!"

"Fine! Then, we don't have to have them fix her! I'll repair her just like I always have!" He struggles to his feet slowly. "We're gonna need more lumber. I can get it from the shipyard." Luffy growls and turns to glare at their sniper quickly.

"You're not a damn shipwright, are you, Usopp?!"

"You're right! But I don't trust some irresponsible shipwrights! Are you guys idiots? You probably got tricked by their arguments! The Luffy I know would've believed in the strength of the Merry rather than buying those shipwrights sales pitch! I guess I misjudged you, Luffy!"

"Luffy, Usopp, please just-"

"Stay out of it, Nami!" Luffy demands. "I've made my decision. I won't change my mind no matter what you say. We're getting a new ship, and we're saying out goodbyes to the Merry here!" Usopp grabs him suddenly by the front of his shirt.

"How can you say that?! How can you leave our wounded friend here and move on to the seas ahead!"

"Don't be ridiculous! Even if she's a friend, ships and Human's are different!"

"They're the same! Merry still has the strength to live in her! Considering how you are, you probably just wanted a new ship from the beginning! You don't even really care about the Merry, you're just acting!" Luffy tackles Usopp hard to the ground.

"Enough already! Don't think you're the only one who's in pain over this! Everyone else is feeling the same way!"

"Then you wouldn't decide to get a new ship!"

"If you hate my decision that much, then you can get off this-"

" **LUFFY**!" Sanji bellows, kicking him across the room and sending him smashing into a table. "Once you say something like that you can't ever take it back! Cool down and use your head!" Luffy slowly sits up, and pulls his hat back onto his head.

"Sorry. I...I just..."

"That's alright, Luffy," Usopp says, voice barely a whisper. "That's how you really feel, isn't it? Just cut off useless friends and move on. If you're going to abandon the Merry, then why not me, too?!"

"Don't say stupid things Usopp," Sanji tells him quickly.

"I've been thinking about this for a while. I can't keep up with everyone here. I can't even watch over our money, correctly. The King of the Pirates doesn't need weak friends, right? But I don't have to go that high. Think back. The only reason I'm sailing with you is because you asked me to that day. That's all that's tying us together. We don't have to travel together if we can't get along!" Usopp turns, and then walks towards the door.

"Oi, where are you going?"

"Where I'm going is my own business." He shoves the door open. "From this point on it has nothing to do with you guys. I'm leaving the Straw Hats." He slams the door closed behind him, leaving them all standing there in silence. Nami suddenly turns to face Luffy.

"Luffy! You have to go after him!" Nami demands. "We came this far together, we can't just part like this!" When Luffy doesn't respond, Nami, Sanji and Chopper go running out the door quickly, yelling after a departing Usopp. Several long moments pass before Luffy stands as well. Zoro and Run follow him out onto the deck to watch Usopp walking away. He finally stops several meters away from them and turns to face them.

"Luffy! It's true that the ship belongs to you, the Captain. But even so...fight me! Fight a duel with me! Tonight at ten, I'll come back here and we'll fight a duel over the Merry! I'll fight beat you and take the Merry back! That'll be the end of the bond between us...!"

* * *

The hours tick by slowly for the crew. After being issued the challenge, Luffy disappeared into the men's sleeping room to wait, and Nami follows, hoping to talk him out of this duel apparently. Sanji, Zoro and Run gather in the longue to wait. Unfortunately, Zoro and Sanji stay wrapped up in an argument the whole time, all while Run sits quietly waiting for the agreed upon time. Listening to the go back and forth, applying blame for something that none of them had any control over is going to get them nowhere. Even so, Run doesn't stop them. He just sits and thinks.

Robin is missing, Usopp has left the crew, the Merry is going to sink...everything is just piling up, of course their tempers would flare. Even Run's nerves are getting worn down with all of this. It's nearly time for the duel when Run stands, and leaves the room, nearly running right into Nami as he does. "Aah, Run," Nami says, stepping back from the door as he steps out. She spares a glance into the lounge as he closes it behind him. "Are those two still fighting?"

"Haaah...like cats and dogs," Run murmurs.

"Aren't you going to stop them?"

"It's how they get along. Best to just let them be." Nami looks towards the door again and then sighs. Chopper suddenly comes running up the stairs towards them. "Chopper? I thought you went after Usopp?" Their doctor sniffles, and tilts his head down. "Chopper?"

"I...I followed him but...he told me to go back," Chopper tells him. "He said...He said we're not friends anymore." He suddenly lunges forward and hugs one of Nami's legs, crying his eyes out. Nami bends and hugs him tightly, allowing him to cry as much as he likes. Luffy makes his appearance on deck along with Sanji and Zoro several minutes later. They all walk to the bow of the Merry, where Luffy jumps over to land on the cape. Luffy stands away from the Merry, staring off towards the city silently...until Usopp finally appears.

"None of you come down here!" Luffy yells. "No matter what!" Usopp stops with a large gap between them. "I see you didn't you didn't get cold feet after all. You better not regret this, no matter what happens. You wanted this duel, after all, Usopp."

"Of course," Usopp tells him. "I plan to fight seriously. If you know what's good for you, then you had better fight seriously as well. I've already figured out how to beat you."

"Can't we do anything to stop them?" Chopper begs. "Usopp is still hurt badly."

"Go inside, Chopper," Run tells him. "You don't need to see this."

"Don't lump me in with your past opponents who didn't know your skills," Usopp says. "We've known each other for a long time, Luffy. I know about your abilites very well. Don't be surprised when I tell you this but...I have over eight-thousand suboridnates under my command!"

"Even I know you're lying," Luffy retorts.

"Usopp spell! You've got razor blades between your teeth!" Rather than allow him to continue his howling, Luffy goes rushing forward while stretching his arm back.

"Gum-Gum...Pistol!" Usopp suddenly doubles over, appearing as if he's coughing up blood. Luffy halts immediately, and stops in front of him.

"Special Attack...Ketchup Star. Sympathizing with your enemy? What confidence!" Luffy growls and then cocks back again. "Flash Dial!" The bright flash of light in the darkness briefly causes even the rest of the Straw Hat's to recoil slightly. "Special Attack! Egg Star!" Usopp fires a number of rotten eggs at Luffy.

"Damn it! Will you fight seriously?!"

"I am fighting seriously. This is how I fight, Luffy! Special Attack! Pepper Ball!" He fires a small black ball at Luffy, which strikes him in the face releasing a cloud of black pepper. Their Captain immediately goes into a sneezing fit. "Better watch where you step." Luffy steps back, and immediately jerks his foot back up.

"It hurts!" He digs a metal caltrop out of his foot and tosses it away. "Damn it...it stinks...I can't see...I can't breathe!"

"I'm not going to give you a chance to attack! Special Attack!" He digs a stack of shuriken out of his bag, all attacked by a thin string. "Shuriken Shooting Star!" He fires them at Luffy, who dodges the deadly projectiles, and then dodges again and again. When he finally stops he glares at Usopp...and notices that his eyes are burning slightly. He looks around quickly, looking for the reason his eyes are burning and the area around him suddenly seems rather misty. "You didn't notice it over the smell of the eggs..."

"It's gas!" Run screams, staring at the breath dial several meters away. "Move, Luffy!"

"It's too late. Flame Star!" The shock wave from the gas explosion is so powerful that it would have pushed the Merry out to see if they hadn't moored her properly. Even so, the small ship bobs up and down wildly on the resulting waves, nearly throwing all of them off their feet. Run catches Chopper, who is sent flying back off the railing and tucks him under an arm before grabbing the railing himself. When the smoke clears it reveals a charred Luffy, lying spread eagle in the middle of the smouldering crater. Several long moments pass before he slowly sits up, and begins walking towards Usopp. "I know. I know that something like this isn't enough to stop you."

"Gum-Gum..." Luffy takes off at a sprint, arms rapidly moving. "...Gattling!"

"Special Attack! Bursting Cactus Star!" The small ball strikes one of Luffy's fists, and explodes into numerous spikes that pepper him, and send him flying back. "Now! Triple Exploding Star!" He fires off the exploding pellets at Luffy, who dodges quickly. "Triple Exploding Star!" Again he fires them, missing Luffy who dodges and rolls each time before diving.

"Gum-Gum Pistol!" Luffy's fist strikes him across the jaw, and tosses him back to the ground. "Gum-Gum..." He rushes towards Usopp, who struggles to his feet slowly. "...Bazooka!" His out-stretched palms appear to strike him square in the stomach...but Nami see's it clearly from the distance.

"Luffy! It's a dial!" Nami screams.

"That's right," Usopp mutters, watching Luffy close in and then thrusting his palm towards his face. "I've got your impact, right here! Impact!" The released energy strikes Luffy square in the face, and throws him back. "Gaah! Damn it! How'd you like that?!" Luffy twists in air, and lands on his feet. Their Captain is still for several tense moments before stretching his arm straight back.

"Gum-Gum...Bullet!" His fist strikes Usopp square in the chest, and he immediately hacks up blood...before dropping face first to the ground. Their Captain drops to his knees as well, staring at their fallen sniper. "You dumbass. You knew there was no way you could defeat me, didn't you?!" After proclaiming this, and with silence as his only answer he stands slowly and walks away from the man to retrieve his hat. "Do what you want with the Merry. We're getting a new ship and moving on through the seas ahead. Luffy walks back to the Merry slowly. "Good bye, Usopp."

Chopper suddenly squirms in Run's grip, and wriggles free before running across the deck to retrieve his bag. "Oi, stop, Chopper!" Run says, catching their doctor and picking the wriggling reindeer up.

"Let me go, please!" Chopper begs. "He was hurt so badly to begin with and now he's gotten beaten up worse!"

"This wasn't a game."

"So?! I'm a doctor! I have to treat him!" Chopper changes into his Heavy Point in Run's grip, and then angles an elbow back towards his face. There's a loud 'smack!' as Run catches it, twists it behind his back and shoves him forward against the base of the figure-head. Try as he might, he can't escape from the red head's grip. He's pinned with no hope of getting free.

"How do you think he's feeling right now, Chopper? Could you imagine how miserable helping him now would make him feel? Doing that would just be adding insult to injury." Run relaxes his grip, and then turns him around slowly to find tears streaming down his face. "He fought a duel knowing that this could be the outcome." Chopper suddenly shrinks back down, and slumps back against the figure-head slowly. The red head sighs heavily and approaches the railing to look down at Luffy.

"This...This is so hard," Luffy chokes, tilting his head down.

"That's what it means to be a Captain, Luffy," Run mutters softly. "Don't lose yourself...don't shy away. If you waver, then who can we trust?" Chopper suddenly leaps the railing and goes running off towards Usopp. He leaves a few medical supplies for him before turning and running back towards them. "Everyone...pack up your things. We're leaving the Merry. This is no longer our home..."

* * *

That night, after moving everything to a hotel room in the city, Run returned to the cape and took a seat on one of the many rocks there. Since there's a chance that she may return, one of them needs to stay behind to keep an eye out for her and then point her in the right direction. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a whole night of waiting for nothing. When dawn breaks, Run heaves a heavy sigh and starts back towards the city. He stops, however, before the Merry completely disappears from view, and spares it one final glance before heading back to the hotel.

He doesn't expect any of them to be in their rooms, and instead heads to the roof where he finds the whole crew gathered minus Robin and Nami. His presence is noticed by everyone of them as he closes the door behind him.

"Haah...guess I'm not the only one who didn't sleep," Run mutters. "What's the point of even getting rooms if no one is going to sleep in them?

"Where have you been, Run?" Chopper asks him, watching him approach.

"I stayed at the cape last night to keep an eye out for Robin. But...no luck." He stops at the railing of the roof, and glances across the way at Luffy who is sitting on top of a roof several meters away by himself. "I guess she didn't find her way here, either."

"No," Sanji replies. "There's been no sign of her."

"It's been nothing but trouble since we came here," Chopper murmurs. "First our money was stolen, and then Usopp..."

"Chopper," Zoro calls. "Stop talking about him." Run sighs and turns to look at the door he came through.

"I think I'm gonna take a walk around town," Run tells them. "Try to find Robin. Although, it's not like I've got some place specific to look for her. I'll just have to wander, and hope I bump into her, I guess. In any case, let's make the inn the place to meet up in the event that something happens." The door to the roof is suddenly thrown open, and Nami comes storming out.

"Luffy! You need to hear this!" Nami screams. "The whole town is talking about it! Last night, Iceburg was shot in his home!"

"Ice Pops was?" Luffy questions. "Everyone thinks the world of him. Why would...?"

"Who's that?" Sanji asks.

"He's someone who helped us yesterday," Nami explains. "He's the president of the shipbuilding company and the Mayor of Water Seven."

"Sounds like a real big-shot."

"Yeah. There couldn't be a bigger incident than that in this town." Luffy stands, and tells them he's going to find out what happened before jumping down from the building to the street below. "Wait, Luffy! I'm coming, too!" Nami turns and goes running towards the door to the roof, disappearing inside it.

"If you're goint to look around, I'll come with you," Sanji tells Run. "Two sets of eyes wouldn't hurt."

"I'll come, too!" Chopper adds...

* * *

The streets of the city are a buzz with the news of Iceburg's attempted assassination. Every one they pass is talking about it, or has their nose buried in one of the many free newspapers that are being distributed throughout the streets. Sanji, Chopper and Run could care less about it, honestly. They're eyes are glued to the streets, scanning the crowds for any sign of Robin. Unfortunately, even after several hours of wandering and searching they haven't seen hide nor hair of her. "Even after looking high and low we haven't found her," Sanji says, lighting another cigarette. "I thought we'd have bumped into her in one of those bookstores."

"Well," Chopper mutters. "Could it be we really don't know her that well at all?"

"What if she's in trouble? What if-"

"Haaah...it's a large city," Run tells them, trying to squash that train of thought. Truthfully, he's worried as well but he can't allow himself to show it. No matter what he has to keep a level head for Luffy and for the crew. It's his responsibility as First Mate. "That's probably the reason we haven't found her, yet." A siren sounds seconds later, and an announcement regarding something called 'Aqua Laguna' that will be striking later in the evening. While the citizens of the city seem to understand this, they don't. So, Run stops one of the men passing by. "Oi, what's this Aqua Laguna, exactly?"

"Huh? You don't know?" the man questions them before smiling. "Ah, you must be visitors. Aqua Laguna is a storm that happens one a year. The tide comes in, and nearly covers the whole city. But, there's no need to worry. It won't hit here until around midnight tonight. Just get to higher ground and wait for it to pass." The man says goodbye and walks off down the street calmly.

"Well...I guess that answers that."

"If we didn't know...do you think that Usopp will?" Chopper asks. "He could be hurt if he's caught off guard." The red head sighs heavily in response.

"Chopper." The little reindeer looks up at him quickly. "You said...you left something on the Merry, didn't you? That's what you said, right?"

"Y-Yeah. I did! I left something there!"

"Then, I suppose we should go and get it." Honestly, it was as thin as excuses could be. In fact, it was more an outright lie than an excuse. But, even so, they headed for the cape where the Merry was anchored. When they make it to the cape, Chopper and Sanji make a huge show of things, shouting at the top of their lungs about the incoming storm. They're well within earshot of the Merry, and even if Usopp is sleeping they're yelling loud enough to wake the dead so there's no reason he shouldn't hear them.

When they've said what they need to, they take off back towards the city. After that, they expanded their search area. They even went so far as to check the Sea Train stations for any sign of her. The citizen's seemed to be in an even bigger frenzy now, running around and yelling. They stand in front of the Sea train stations, examining the arrival and departure board. "Do you think Robin got on one of the trains?" Chopper asks.

"If she did that would be bad," Sanji mutters. "Not only having to search Water Seven but another town all together."

"Did...Did I do something to upset her at the book store, maybe?"

"No," Run assures him, reaching down to pat him on the head. "You didn't do anything wrong, Chopper." Sanji takes a drag on his cigarette and turns away from the board. He approaches one of the man people running back and forth on the platform.

"Excuse me," Sanji says, holding out a wanted poster. "Have you seen a pretty woman like this?"

"Oh, that," the man replies. "The young woman who's twenty years older than that photo, right? No, I haven't. If I had, I'd have reported it to Galley-La immediately. Honestly...to think she was an assassin the whole time. What a world, huh?" The man laughs and walks away from them. "How did things get this bad..."

"The wind is picking up," Run says, turning around as well. "Everyone's leaving or heading to higher ground to ride out the storm." Chopper suddenly tilts his head up, sniffing the air quickly.

"This scent...could it be...?" Chopper mutters, head turning this way and that. He suddenly takes off running down one of the streets away from the platform. Both Sanji and Run call out for him before chasing after him as quickly as they can. He turns down a small alley, and then takes a tumble down a flight of stairs. Sanji and Run sigh before slowly descending them.

"Oi, Chopper," Sanji calls. "What's gotten into you? Why are you going running off so...suddenly..." They stop dead in their tracks beside the little reindeer, staring across the canal as if they've seen a ghost. "Robin!" She stands, facing them calmly as if she'd never left in the first place.

"Haaah...we were wondering where you went," Run says, scratching the stubble on his jaw. "We've been looking all over for you. Let's go. Everyone's worried about you. Better yet, we'll come to you."

"No," Robin tells them. "It's ok. Stay there." The red head tilts his head slightly, brow furrowing in response. "I'm not...I won't...be coming back with you, Run. We're parting ways here." Although she appears as calm as ever, Run can hear a slight waver to her voice.

"What are you talking about?"

"Yeah!" Sanji adds quickly. "If it's about the newspaper, it's alright. None of us believed even a single word of it! Being falsely accused of crimes just because you're a pirate is pretty common-place, after all!"

"It's true," Robin admits. "Sorry for pinning something so unreasonable on you but it's the truth. It really was me who infiltrated the mayor's residence last night. I carry a darkness inside of me...a darkness that will destroy all of you someday. In fact, I'm pinning this on you and running away. The situation will only get worse."

"What kind bullshit are you spouting?!" Run shouts. "Why are you talking like this?!"

"Why...Why I'm doing this...it's something you don't need to know."

"Stop saying that! Tell me what happened!"

"I only spent a short time with you but...after today...after today...I'll never see you again. Goodbye." She turns away from them slowly, and begins walking away. There's a loud 'splash!' seconds later and Run dives head first into the water, and disappears under the surface while Chopper and Sanji scream for her to stop. A hand suddenly closes around her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. Run is perched half in and half out of the water and soaked to the bone.

"Stop, I said!" Run demands, staring up at her. "What kind of nonsense are you talking about? How can you just go running off like that without some kind of explanation? Do you really think I'll accept it?" There's a soft sound, and her shoulders shake slightly as if cold as she glances over her shoulder at him. "Robin, I...huh?" His eyes widen and his grip goes slack as their eyes meet. "R...Robin." A number of arms suddenly sprout from the red head, two pin his arms, and lace their fingers together under his chin before yanking his head backwards. "Gaah!"

"Run!" Sanji and Chopper exclaim. Robin turns to face him, and bends at the waist to lean over him. Her own hands gently cup his face as she kisses him on the forehead. Her voice is a whisper, one lost over the distance and wind to Chopper and Sanji. But when she leans up, she places one of her hands under his chin...and slowly shoves him back into the canal before walking away. They watch the red head sink like a stone, and Sanji goes diving into the water after him, only to surface moments later and drag him back to their side of the canal.

When Sanji hauls him up onto solid ground Chopper immediately begins examining him. It doesn't seem like anything is broken and yet...he simply lies there, unmoving and staring up at the azure sky.

"Run," Chopper cries, sniffling. "What happened?"

"What did she say?" Sanji demands, kneeling and grasping him by the front of his shirt. "What did she say to you, damn it?! Did she tell you why she's leaving?! How could you just let her go like that?!" The red head blinks, his eyes stinging. "Well?!"

"She was...she was crying," Run whispers. "She was crying, and she said...she said, 'I love you'." Sanji releases him, allowing him to lie flat on his back again. Run raises a hand, covering his eyes with the back of his wrist. His jaw tightens, teeth clenching. It feels like an eternity before he finally sniffles loudly, and then sits up on his own. "We're going after her. Chopper...go find the others and tell them what's happened. Sanji and I are going to go after her." The little reindeer nods firmly in response, and then turns away before running off.

"You have a plan?"

"I do." Run holds a hand out to a standing Sanji, and the man helps him to his feet. "Come on..."


	34. Board the Train! Rescue Robin!

"Today's last train to Enies Lobby, departing at 11 PM," announces a male voice through the platform. "Would all passengers please board from the second floor due to the raised water level." Run and Sanji stand shrouded by the shadows, well hidden from the Marines crawling all over the place. There's a brief spark in the darkness as Sanji strikes his lighter, and then the balmy glow of a red hot cherry moments later. The cook exhales a cloud of smoke slowly, watching it be swept away by the fast winds.

"Jackpot," Run mutters, staring at a cloaked figure. Even from a distance he can tell it's Robin. Her walk alone is a dead give away.

"Government officials, Marines...and Robin," Sanji observes, slowly crossing his arms. "How should we play it?" Run watches as two men in suits start guiding her towards the Sea Train.

"I don't get it. Those guys look like they work for the World Government. Even with this many, it should be easy for her to take 'em all down by herself. Is she waiting for something? Does she have a plan for this, after all?" Run sighs heavily as he watches her walk away. Hearing shouting voices, Sanji and Run look towards the commotion. Wrapped up tight, and bound by rope, Usopp and another man the two don't recognize are being carried by an even bigger man who has his hair shaped into bull-like horns. They continue they're struggling and screaming until they're knocked out cold.

"Usopp."

"Those three. I recognize them from yesterday. They work for Iceburg."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Positive." The Marines and the men in suits form two lines, saluting the four as they pass before filing into the train after them. "Haaah...that Usopp. He's planning on causing trouble until they very end, isn't he?" An announcement rings loud over the platform, informing them that due to the storm surge growing closer, the train is going to be departing sooner than expected.

"Guess it's now or never. Aah, wait one moment." Sanji gently places a transponder snail on the ground before leaving a letter with it. "Alright, now, let's go!" They go running towards the station, dash down the stairs and spill out onto the platform before rushing the train. Two of the men working the platform attempt to stop them but Sanji and Run easily sweep them aside before diving for the last train car. The two barely catch the railing, and quickly pull themselves up to safety. They watch the platform fade quickly in the distance, and Sanji sighs. "Jeez...even my cigarette won't stay lit out here."

"Then, let's find a quiet way-" The door in front of them is suddenly opened, and a man in a suit steps out. They stare at the man in silence for several moments while he stares back...before Sanji sends him sailing right back into the train car. He smashes into the wall as they step inside, closing the door behind them. The train car is packed with men in suits, all of which promptly turn and point weapons at them. Some brandish pistols and others swords while facing off with them. "So much for making a quiet entrance."

"Don't move!" demands one of the men. "Do you have any idea where you two are?" Sanji reaches into his pocket, and the men tense in response, relaxing only slight when he pulls a lighter out and finally lights his cigarette. "I saw that blond guys kick earlier. He's no ordinary guy."

"If you say it like that," Sanji begins, pausing to take a long drag on his cigarette. "You'll make me blush."

"It wasn't a compliment! Oi! Someone let Lucci know that two suspicious men have infiltrated the train!"

"Hold it!" exclaims a voice, causing both of them to scan the crowded train for it's source. "There's no need to bother CP9. No matter how violent these suspicious men might be there's no need to fear because in this car...you've got me!"

"Jerry!" Both slowly follow the men's sight up to the ceiling, and find a huge man towering over them. He's bent at the waist, his back pressed against the ceiling as he stares down at them. All of Sanji's smoke drifts up into his face, sending the man into one coughing fit after another. "I'm a champion on a South Blue island where karate is quite popular. That's right, I'm a boxing champion!"

"Haaah...those two aren't even remotely connected," Run tells him, looking up at the man.

"Now, now," Sanji begins. "Let's see him do some karate first."

"Hnn...Jerry...Aurora Flicker...Jab!" Jerry screams, suddenly launching a flurry of punches at the two. The two simply step between his legs and lean against the wall while he pummels several unfortunate government officals. "You kids!" The tall man bends to look at them between his legs. "Just because I'm so tall, don't think I'm at a disadvantage in-" Run immediately silences the man by jumping and delivering a punch straight to his stomach. He smashes up into the ceiling, and both step to the side of the aisle as he drops down to the floor seconds later.

"Sorry," Run tells them. "But we're in a bit of a hurry." Without wasting any more time, they effortlessly deal with the rest of the men gathered in the room, knocking them all out one by one. They move on to the next car slowly, trying to be as casual as possible. Unfortunately, the men don't fall for it and they have to beat them all into unconsciousness. "So much for that."

"I thought the plan of acting innocent would work," Sanji tells him.

"Oi, oi!" calls a voice from the front of the cart. Both turn to find Usopp and the blue haired man from earlier still bundled up tight. "Sanji! Run! What are you two doing here?!"

"I could ask you the same, er...what was your name again?"

"You bastard!"

"You. What's your name." The blue haired man leans up, and stares at the two of them. Sanji notices several transponder snails out of the corner of his eye and approaches quickly. "Ohh! This is what we need! The guys from the cart didn't have anything like this. Maybe it's a communication cart? We should be able to contact Nami with one of these."

"Are you three friends?" the blue haired man asks.

"Former. Now, who the hell are you?"

"I'm Franky, demolition worker and the face of the Water Seven underworld." Sanji immediately boots the man in his face, yelling at him for attacking Usopp earlier and stealing their money. "Damn it! Just you wait until I get out of this!"

"Get out?" Run echos. "Can you give me one good reason we should toss you off this train right now?"

"Wait, wait!" Usopp begs, worming his way between them. "A lot of things have happened since! He even saved the Merry once!" Usopp pauses for a moment. "That's right...the Merry."

"Oi! This is no time for moping!" Franky tells him. "Anyway, please untie me!"

"Why should we?!" Sanji yells back. "It's no skin off our bones if you stay tied up for the rest of your life!"

"You bastard! Even after I asked so nicely you still have the guts to say that?!" After calming down, they untie Usopp and, after some consideration, Franky as well. Afterwards, they move to the roof of the train to avoid any unwanted surprises. Sanji takes this opportunity to contact Nami, and everyone else to tell them what's going on. Nami seems surprised that Usopp has been abducted but allows it to fall by the way side to explain what they've learned. She tells them that all of this, everything that Robin has done, is because she is protecting them. She tells them everything, not sparing a single detail.

When everything is said and done, Sanji and Run are left in a stunned silence for several minutes before Run nods his head firmly. "Haaaah...I see," Run mutters. "Oi, Nami. We're gonna have to cut this call short." Run suddenly grabs the receiver and crushes it. "Let's go, Sanji. Let's go get Robin."

"So...things like that were happening while I was gone?" Usopp wonders.

"Robin doesn't know anything about the Merry or your fight with Luffy. In order for the seven of us, including you, to stay safe she was willing to sacrifice herself. She did it for us."

"Aaaah! That's so touching!" Franky wails.

"Stop crying."

"I'm not crying! Nico Robin is said to be a cruel, evil woman and yet she has such heart warming affection for her friends!" Run's brow furrows in response, and Sanji steps between them quickly. Clearly, now is not the time for such words.

"She's somewhere on this train. I'm gonna go find her."

"Alright! Then I, Franky, will lend you a hand, red hair! I've got my own reasons for not wanting her to fall into the World Government's hands! Now, especially, after hearing such an amazing tale! Oi! Let's go, Long Nose! We've got things to do!"

"I'm...I'm not coming," Usopp tells them. "It no longer has anything to do with me, remember? If the World Government is going to become your enemy, then I want no part of it. You're going to meet up with Luffy and the others, afterwards, right? After all my blustering, and then humiliating myself, how could I go with you guys? I'm sorry, but I'm no longer honor-bound to rescue Robin. I left the Straw Hats!" Usopp slowly walks away from them across the roof of the cart. "See ya."

"Oi! Where are you going to go?! It's not like you can run off somewhere!"

"Just let him go," Sanji says. "We'll-"

"I found them!" screams a voice from the edge of the cart, attracting their attention of a Marine. "They're-"

"Metallic Star!" A steel ball-bearing strikes the man in the temple, and sends him plunging into the sea below. All head turn to find...well, Usopp, wearing a strange mask. "He told me everything! I heard you guys are going to rescue a damsel in distress! That's reason enough for me to help you! I will fight along-side you! I am...Sogeking!"

"Haaah...gimmie a break," Run mutters under his breath. "Alright, 'Sogeking', let's get going then."

"Oi, oi, we should make a plan first," Sanji insists.

"Alright. Here's the plan. Find Robin, beat anyone who gets in the way."

"You can't be serious. We'll exhaust ourselves if we try that. What we should do instead is..."

* * *

The three peer over the edge of the very last train car for a moment before dropping down. "You sure this is gonna work?" Run asks. Sanji nods his head in response, and then throws the door wide open. The Marines in the car all turn towards the door as the three wave at them. "Oi. Evenin'." When the Marines start charging, they slam the door closed and 'Sogeking' begins rapidly nailing it shut.

"You need to work on how you use a hammer," Franky says rather flippantly.

"You wanna do this?" Sogeking retorts, still hammering rapidly. Bullets begin flying through the door, barely missing them. "Ohh! They're shooting at us!" This is the spur he needs to finish the job quicker. When he's done, they all leap up, hauling themselves back onto the roof. They go sprinting across the train car's roof towards the fifth car. Run drops down between the carts, and with a single stroke of Kitetsu cuts the thick steel chain binding them together.

"See ya 'round!" Run shouts, watching the car fade into the distance and slowly shoving Kitetsu back into it's saya.

"Alright," Sanji begins. "That's two train car's full. That has to be at least fifty small fry taken care of."

"But, Sanji, aren't Straw Hat and the others coming on the same railway?" Sogeking reasons.

"It'll give 'em something to do while they catch up." Hearing running footsteps, Sanji turns and opens the door before stepping aside. A man in a suit comes flying past Sanji and straight towards Run, feet extended. The red head steps to the side quickly.

"Sea King's Sway," Run says, driving his knee into the man's back and then slamming his elbow into his gut, driving him into the metal floor. He casually kicks him off the train into the sea before stepping into the train car with the others. "I guess there's some more small fry to take care of."

"You bastards!" scream the men inside, rushing them.

"Strong Right!" Franky exclaims, firing his fist right off his arm and scattering the men.

"Damn it! Fire! Shoot them!" While he reels his fist, which is connected by a chain, back in the men start shooting. Run starts to step forward, hand going to the says of his sword but stops when Franky remains completely still. The rounds strike his chest...and simply drop to the ground. "Wh...What the hell?! Fire! Fire again!" They continue firing while Franky casually tears one of the bench seats up from the ground and tosses it at them, crushing them under it.

"What _are_ you?" Sanji questions him.

"Oh? I'm a Cyborg. Steel and weapons are built right into my body. If I'm shot, it hurts a little and sometimes it bleeds but it doesn't work at all."

"Something like that is possible?" Sogeking seems amazed...and eager to test it as he pokes him in the back with a large needle moments later.

" **YOW**! What are you doing, you bastard?!"

"Huh?" Sogeking grunts. "Bullets don't hurt but needles do?"

"Why would you do that anyway?! I'll tell you right now, my back is a different matter all together! I did the modifications myself, and I couldn't reach my back, get it? Only my front is metal!" Run is rather impressed by this, honestly. But even so...now isn't really the time to discuss it.

"If you're done, we've got more train cars to take care of," Run informs them. "Fourth car's next." They push through the car, to the next and shove the door open. Rather than Marines and weapons, however, they find themselves in a kitchen with a chef...and not their own, either. A strange looking man with curly white hair begins shouting something or another at the top of his lungs as he notices them.

"I'm Wanze! Mad, mad Wanze!" Wanze bellows, racing towards them. He comes a quick halt directly in front of them. "I'm Wanze, the head steward! Can I make something for you? Are you hungry? How about some ramen?" He begins rapidly stuffing flour in his mouth. "Let me just knead this well!" When he's finished, he disgusts them by suddenly squeezing noodles out of his nose into a bowl. "Here! Fresh ramen for you!"

"This is a waste of time," Sanji blurts out. "Wanze, we're keeping someone waiting. So, we're going to go. See ya." When Sanji steps forward, the man suddenly jumps right in front of him.

"Wait! If you want to pass through, you've got to beat me!"

"You're trying to stop us?"

"I _will_ stop you! If you want to set that criminal free, you need to beat my Ramen Kenpo!" Rather than continue putting up with this idiot, Franky raises his left arm, and twists his forearm to reveal a gun. He fires a volley of rounds at the man, who skates left and right, avoiding them all.

"What the hell?!" Franky demands. "Those bullets definitely grazed him...but he didn't even flinch. In fact, he looks more relaxed than ever."

"W-Whoa, I was so scared I thought my heart would stop!"

"Then _show_ it, ya bastard!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Sanji cries, stopping Franky. "If we let him suck us in like this, it's only going to slow us down. I'll take care of this...to be honest, it pisses me off that someone like this has the audacity to call himself a chef." Wanze seems confused by his insult, and Sanji growls in response. "I'm talking about you!" He rushes and launches a kick at the man, who dodges quickly. "Damn it. Leave this guy to me. You guys go to the next car..."

* * *

"Haaaah...why do I keep following your 'plans', Usopp?" Run mutters.

"Huh? Did you say something?" 'Sogeking' yells over the wind. Run responds with a shake of his head in response. Pelted by stinging rain, and deafened by the rushing wind, they inch themselves across the outside of the train car slowly. 'Sogeking's' plan involved separating as soon as they left Sanji behind. Franky would continue across the top of the train cars, drawing any potential attention while they went looking specifically for Robin. However, that was as far as Run was willing to go along with his plan. "Are you sure you don't want some suction cups?"

"I'm not tying animals to my hands and feet." The red head nearly loses his grip on the window-sill and chests into the car on instinct. It's not at all like mountain-climbing but it's close enough...or rather the principal is the same; don't fall off.

"How can you do that in- whoa?!" The octopi that 'Sogeking' has tied to himself start losing their suction, and he slides down a bit. Run reaches out and catches him before he drops into the sea, allowing him to stick himself back to the train car. "Th-Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah." Surprisingly, it takes them only a few minutes to reach the first train car, and when they take a peek in one of the windows, they find themselves face to face with none other than Robin. To call her shocked with be an understatement. "Robin!"

"Long nose...Run?" Robin whispers, staring at them through the glass. Run pushes the window up, and they climb in. "What are you doing here?! I thought I told you to-" Run steps forward, cups her face and silences her with a kiss. "W-Wait. I-" Her lips are full and soft, and it's everything he can do to pull back when she leans back. "S-Stop, Run. What's going on?"

"Good grief," Sogeking says. "Throwing yourself at a woman like that. Have you no shame?" Run looks back sharply at the sniper who panics for a brief moment before clearing his throat. "I apologize, my lady. But if you bombard us with questions like that it's difficult to answer them all." Sogeking looks at the cart next to them and approaches. "How about I pour you a cup of coffee?"

"Stop messing around!"

"We're not messing around," Run tells her. "We're here to rescue you." Robin looks from Run to the masked Usopp. "Haaah, it's...it's a long story." Seeing her staring at him, he suddenly crosses his arms across his chest.

"I'm Sogeking, king of the sniper!" he says by way of introduction. "Seeing your friend was here to rescue you, I decided that I should offer my assistance. And, it's not just the two of us, either! Sanji, and a thug named Franky are currently fighting to get here. Furthermore, everyone else is on the way as well, including Straw Hat." Run reaches out and gently grasps one of her hands.

"Now, come on. Let's get outta here, Robin." When he starts pulling her to her feet, she suddenly yanks her hand free. "Robin?"

"No," Robin says firmly. "I...I told you goodbye clearly before. Didn't I? I'll never return to the Straw Hats."

"We know your reasons. Iceburg cleared up everything for us."

"So, he's alive." Robin slowly shakes her head. "But still...still I won't return with you."

"I'm telling you not to worry." Run captures both her hands in his own, and gently squeezes them. "We're not so weak that you need to worry. More over...why?!" His shout surprises her. "Why didn't you talk to us- to ME before making such a stupid deal?! You think any of us could live with ourselves knowing you threw your life away for ours?! Now that I know the real reason, there's no way in hell I'm gonna let you do this! I don't care if I have to fight, you're coming back with us!"

"It's _you_ who doesn't understand! I...I don't have the slightest desire to be rescued! What makes you think you can do as you please?!"

"Because I lo-" There's a loud banging at the door, and all three of them look towards it. "Shit, hide!" The red head all but dives back out the window, and clings onto the window-sill, hanging by his finger-tips. What little he can hear over the rushing wind sounds like some pompous government official droning on and on. Several long tense minutes pass before he peeks up slightly, and watches the man slowly start departing. The man stops in front of the door and Run growls a bit in irritation. "Just get lost already, you bastard." The man turns around and he drops back down. "Damn it."

A shadow falls across the window sill. Several long, tense moments pass before it disappears...and the window sill comes crashing down on his finger-tips. " **AAH, YOU DICK!** " The window is thrown open and the man leans out, staring down at him.

"L-L-Lucci!" Run reaches up, grasps him by his tie and then pulls him out of the window. He splashes down into the sea and Run hauls himself into the room, shaking his stinging fingers with a pained expression. 'Sogeking' suddenly appears from under the cloak Robin is wearing.

"Are you alright?" Sogeking asks.

"Haaah, yeah," Run drawls, watching Robin stand as well. "Let's just go, already. We haven't got much time." She surprises them by walking back towards the door the man was heading for, the door to the second car where the guys who abducted her are.

"Oi, oi! Robin! You can't go that way! Oi, Robin!" Sogeking grabs her wrist, trying to stop her but she forges on with Run following calmly. If this is the path she wants to take, then so be it. They'll fight their way out and be done with all of this skulking around. Robin pushes both doors open, and they step in. Sanji and Franky stand across from them at the end of the car, while the CP9 members are between them.

"Ohh! Robin! Are you alright?" Sanji gushes, staring at her.

"So that's Nico Robin," Franky says, staring at her. "She does indeed resemble the her wanted poster."

"Let's go back together. Run and I will take these guys down right away, so let's go!" Lucci glances back at them over his shoulder and Run steps forward in front of Robin and 'Sogeking'. Arms suddenly sprout from their surroundings, and Sogeking and Run find themselves thrown towards Sanji and Franky. The red head lands hard on his back before rolling to his feet. "What are you doing?"

"Even if I explain, you won't get it," Robin tells them.

"Franky!" Sogeking shouts, leaning up quickly. "Detach car three!"

"What for?" Franky demands.

"We're gonna run away!" Understanding what the man plans to do, Run smirks in response. "Sogeking...Smoke Star!" Sogeking tosses a smoke bomb at the floor, and it immediately fills the entire cabin of the train car. It sends nearly everyone into a coughing fit as a result. Robin finds herself lifted seconds later, and carried princess-style back through the cabin.

"I got her, break the chain!" Run demands, sprinting the distance and leaping the gap when the cars separate violently. Run watches the train car pull away from them for a few seconds before gently depositing Robin on one of the seats. "Never thought running away would actually work."

"Of course it did. Sometimes it's best to achieve a goal without having to fight."

"Still," Sanji adds, pausing to light a cigarette. "It's best if we don't let our guard down, yet. Not until we've got some distance between us." They're all surprised when some rather thorny whips suddenly strike the car, holding fast to it. "Are you kidding me?!" The whips suddenly go taut, and the car is pulled back into contact with the other. The man with the bull-like hair, grabs the walls of the train cars and holds them together. "Talk about strength."

"Good job, Blueno," Lucci says, stepping forward. "Don't kill any Straw Hats. That is the deal."

"Let us go!" Sanji rushes forward, and kicks Blueno but the man doesn't even flinch. "Why is his body so hard?"

"I told you these guys use strange martial arts, didn't I?!" Franky screams.

"Move, Sanji!" Run demands. "I'll make him let go!" Sanji jumps back as Run rushes forward. "Sea King's Bite!" Blueno watches him the whole time, unflinching until his fist slams into his jaw. The impact blows the man through the wall of the train car, and sends him crashing through several rows of seats before finally stopping. They begin losing their momentum again and Run smirks, watching the other members of CP9 slowly start to pull away from them. The cart shudders, nearly throwing Run into the sea as the whips strike the car again, holding it tight.

"Damn it! Just let us escape!" Franky screams, rushing forward. He slams his palms into the wall of their car, and then blows it right off, falling with it into the next cart. "Everyone! Don't worry about me! Find a way back to town, I'll be fine!"

"Franky!"

"Wait!" Robin shouts. "I'm not going to run away!" Run growls, and turns to face her.

"Why are you still saying that?! I told you that we know everything already! We just need to do something about the Buster Call, and then you don't have to worry about them, right?! What's the problem?!"

"The Buster Call," begins a familiar voice. Run stiffens in response, and whips around quickly. Blueno appears to be coming out of a hole in the middle of nowhere. "Is the problem." Run cocks back quickly, aiming another punch at the man's face. "Tempest Kick!" The red head is thrown straight back, and smashes into the far wall before collapsing onto, and shattering several of the benches.

"He came out of nowhere!" Sogeking cries.

"Finger Pistol." Sogeking drops to his knees seconds later before collapsing onto his face.

"You bastard!" Sanji screams, rushing the man. Blueno allows himself to be kicked before catching Sanji's ankle and slamming him into the ground. He tosses him down the aisle calmly. Sanji coughs violently before pushing himself up. "Damn it."

"How stubbon."

"That's enough!" Robin calls, arms suddenly catching Blueno. "I'm not going to run. This is enough."

"They're the one's who kept attacking me."

"Then, let's go." The arms disappear, and the two turn away from them. Hearing running foot-steps both turn around again just in time for Run to smash his knee into Blueno's chin.

"Sea King's Rush!" exclaims Run. Blueno crashes into several of the benches, demolishing them and finally skidding to a stop at the edge of the cart. "Ya know...that's a really tricky ability you've got there, Blueno." The large man slowly sits up, rubbing his chin slowly.

"Your power seems to have weakened," Bluneo remarks, calmly standing. "Did my kick have an effect?" The red head cracks his knuckles loudly with a grin.

"Care to find out?"

"Hmph. Shave." The red head blinks in surprise when the large man disappears, and then tenses quickly. "Finger Pistol." There's a decidedly loud 'crack!' behind him and a stiffled grunt of pain which brings an even wider grins even wider before looking over his shoulder. Blueno's face is one of confusion, tinted with pain. The red head whirls around, catches his wrist and then the back of his head. Run leans himself back and then snaps his head forward. "Finger Pistol!" A second 'crunch!' follows as his middle finger breaks on Run's chest. "Wha-"

The impact of there heads drops Blueno to his knees, his eyes briefly crossing at stars dance before them. The red head's knee smashes into his chin a second time, sending him sprawling across the ground several meters away. He slowly reaches up to wipe away a smear of blood before approaching calmly.

"Did you honestly think you were the only ones who could harden their bodies?" Blueno begins sitting up, and Run slams his foot into his chest quickly, pinning him. "I don't know how you're doing it...but from what I can gather from seeing it a few times...it seems like you can't _move_ while you're doing it. But me?" The red head pauses to slowly unbutton his shirt, revealing his torso to be hardened and protected by Busoshoku Haki. "I can." His hands are quickly hardened like his torso. He drops down suddenly, pinning one arm under a knee, the other under a foot and his head with his right hand.

"Killing me won't stop anything, red hair. Least of all CP9 or the Buster Call."

"Haaah...you could do worse for your final words, I suppose," Run retorts simply. "Buh-bye, Blueno." Before he can bring his fist down, he suddenly finds himself, and Blueno falling. The large man uses this surprise, to shake the red head off, seconds before the two strike the ground. They're immediately pelted by stinging rain and rushing wind. He rolls as he impacts, and whirls around to face none other than the edge of the train, and another slowly closing door. "You bastard!"

He rushes forward it, intending to stop it before it closes...but nearly goes tumbling right off the edge as it shuts in front of him. His geta scrape against the metal roof of the train car and he barely stops in time before turning back around and sprinting towards the front car. He reaches it and cocks back quickly to smash through the roof. It gives way under his Haki imbued fist, and he goes tumbling into the car. "Robin!" Run roars, tossing aside a few stray pieces of metal before looking around.

"She's gone," Sanji says, sitting on the floor. Run drops to a knee, and slams his fist against the floor hard enough to knock a hole in it.

"God damn it, I _had_ him!" Run bellows, nails digging so hard into his palm that it begins to bleed. " _I had him_! I should have just killed him right away!" He raises his fist again and then stops, slowly collapsing back onto his ass. "Damn it. Damn it, this is my fault. I should have just killed him right away."

"Don't blame yourself, idiot. Do you think Robin would want that?"

"...What...what are we going to do now?"

"We'll do like Franky told us to do...and we'll wait for the others..."


	35. Storm Enies Lobby! Robin's Cries!

"Hero! It's Hero!" Luffy gushes, staring at 'Sogeking'. It has been this way ever since they'd linked back up with the rest of their crew. Chopper and Luffy both seemed to be completely entranced, and fooled by Usopp's Sogeking persona. "Since you're wearing a cape, I knew you would be! Hero's always wear a cape!"

"Isn't that Usopp?" Zoro asks, staring at them.

"It's a long story," retorts Sanji. Everyone else can plainly see through the man's disguise...but maybe it's best not to point it out. Chopper shoves a piece of paper towards the man, requesting an autograph. Naturally, he signs the paper for their doctor and hands it back. Sanji eventually calls for their attention and explains to everyone what they've learned. He tells them that CP9 is using Robin's fear of the Buster Call to control her, and bend her to their will. "Which means...even if we can rescue her, then there's no guarentee that she'll actually want to come back."

"I don't care!" Luffy screams. "Even if that's the case, why wouldn't she want us to rescue her?!"

"She's suffering thinking about what might happen to us," Nami explains.

"If we don't do anything she'll be killed without a doubt," Run adds. "There's no way she wants to die, so we'll rescue her." Paulie takes this opportunity to lay a map out for them, drawn from a rough recollection of the island. Apparently, the Gates of Justice are at the back of the island, and are only accessible from the Tower of Law. Luffy is curious about the large dark spots of the man but Paulie tells them that they'll figure it out when they see it. He finishes his explanation by telling them that their only chance of rescuing Robin and Franky is by catching them before they pass through the Gates of Justice. If they can't stop them before that, then they'll be lost forever.

"But remember," Paulie adds quickly. "Even though we're all rushing in at the same time if we encounter any members of CP9, then you all are the only one's who can stop them. After everything that's happened, I know full well just how strong you all are. So, please...wait five minutes here before you go charging in through the gate in Rocketman."

"We'll go in first and bust open the gates for you," Zambai tell them. "After that, just keep moving forward no matter what happens to us." They all respond in the affirmative, and then they return to their waiting. Several minutes pass before anyone notices Luffy and Run's absence from the train car.

"Hey, Nami," Chopper says, looking around. "Weren't Luffy and Run just here?" Everyone looks around quickly...slowly realizing what their absence more than likely means.

"They wouldn't!"

"Gum-Gum...Rocket...!"

"They _would_...!"

* * *

Luffy catches the fence, scrambling up to take a better look at the gates. "Wow! They're huge!" Luffy laughs, holding tight to the fence. "Aren't they, Run?" The red head nods in the affirmative, while keeping a tight hold on Luffy's back. He pushes off from the fence, stretching his arms. They go sailing high into the sky, and then land on top of the first large gate. Ahead of them, past the first set of gates is another set with a large platoon of Marines gathered in front. It seems it hasn't taken them long to be more impressive than their response time is the large view they're treated to. The island seems to be floating over a huge pit, with water pouring in on all side.

"Wow," Run mutters. "I can see why the Navy would build here."

"Ohhh! This place looks so cool! It's like a floating island!" Gunfire sounds from below, and bullets begin to whiz by. "Oops! Looks like they spotted us!"

"Let's get down there." The two jump down from the tower to the path below, and begin sprinting towards the gate in front of them. Luffy laughs the whole way, clearly on cloud nine at having the chance to storm such a heavily guarded Navy post like this. Ahead of them, the Marines don't seem to be intimidated by them in the slightest. In fact, they seem rather dismissive as they charge forward.

"Oi, oi, do you know what place this is?" one of them asks. "You two can't just come-" Luffy surprises them by jumping and stretching his legs out to kick two of them in the face. Run ducks under his stretched legs and then jumps as well, kneeing another man in the face. The three go crashing back into the group with the duo chasing after them.

"Where is she?" Luffy asks, scattering several men.

"Where is Robin?!" Run demands, knocking out several more. They scatter Marines left and right, pushing closer and closer towards the gate.

"Excuse us! But we'd like to pass!"

"No means no!" exclaims one of the Marines, lunging at Luffy with a spear. He leaps the weapon, and then lands on his back, wrapping his arms and legs around the man's own. "Wh-What the?!"

"Gum-Gum Ally Robot!" He forces the man to walk towards the others. "Robo Punch!" He knocks out one of the approaching Marines using the man's fist. It takes only a few forced punches and kicks for them to circle around behind Luffy. When they attack, however, he leaps off the man and allows him to be cut down in his place. Run dodges a spear thrust at him, grips the Marine by the front of his uniform and slams their foreheads together before turning to face Luffy.

"Oi! Luffy! Let's get outta here!" Run shouts. "We don't have to waste time on small fry!"

"Right!" Luffy goes sprinting towards the door and Run follows. As Luffy's arms stretch out, Run grabs him by the shoulders and holds tight as they go sailing skyward. They pause briefly, hanging onto the large hands of the gates before going sailing skyward again. "Sorry! But we've got things to do! More people will be coming later!" They fly up and over the large gates before landing in the streets...surrounded on all sides by Marines.

"Oi, oi!" exclaims one of the men gathered. "Straw Hat, Red, just how many friends did the two of you bring? There are over ten-thousand soldiers in Enies Lobby!"

"Aah, right now, it's just the two of us."

"But if I were you, I'd get out of the way," Run growls...

* * *

To describe them as 'running amuck' would certainly be an understatement. Luffy and Run seem intent on razing the town to his very foundation. What isn't smashed by Luffy is smashed Run as they sweep both Marines and buildings out of their way. Though they don't stand the slightest chance against them, the Marines continue their pursuit in force. No matter how many they knock out, or brush aside, it seems unending. If they continue wasting their time on the small fry, they're never going to make it!

"Luffy! We need to shake them!" Run tells his friend, driving a knee into a Marine's gut.

"I'm trying!" Luffy complains. "But it's like they just pop up outta nowhere! Ahh! There!" Luffy grabs Run by the back of his shirt, and then throws a hand skyward. "Gum-Gum...Rocket!" They go flying up towards the top of a building, landing on the roof. Both glance briefly down at the streets below before looking forward. "This must be the final building." It's an impressive structure, stretching skyward above all of the other buildings around them but still dwarfed in comparison to the Gates of Justice behind it.

Even so, a large gap separates the buildings seemingly impossible to bridge by any means. "I guess we'll have to drop the gate to get there."

"No, it's a bit far but I think I can jump us there."

"You sure?"

"Air Door," announces a familiar voice. Both Luffy and Run watch as a door suddenly appears in front of them. It creaks open agonizingly slow, and Blueno calmly steps out. Run notes with some satisfaction that two of the large man's fingers on his right hand are now splinted, and bandaged tightly.

"Aah! It's the bull guy who was with the pigeon guy!" Luffy growls.

"Haaah...how's the hand, Blueno?" Run taunts, smirking in response. The large man's eyes narrow in response but his face remains calm otherwise.

"It seems the situation is quite different than the actual report," Blueno observes. Luffy seems beside himself with amazement while watching the door disappear. "I was sure there was more than just five casualties. "Since the start of the World Government no one has ever made it to the Governments entrance."

"Get outta the way, Bull," Luffy tells him, balling his fists tightly.

"Just how long do you intend to keep fighting?"

"Until I die."

"The World Government is a huge and powerful organization. More than one-hundred and seventy countries around the world count themselves as it's members. Invading this island which is under it's protection is an act of rebellion against this countries. The World Government will have no choice but to grant all of you a merciless death. You number as only a handful of people. That's nowhere near enough to stand against us."

"I don't care. Just get out of our way."

"You, who have breached the gate of Enies Lobby, already have no future. Regardless of whether I stand aside or not, you are going to die. You already know that fighting is pointless. Didn't you get a good enough taste of our Six Powers are at the Galley-La mansion, as well as the difference between our fighting ability?" Run arches a brow in response, while Luffy begins stretching.

"So you say. But for some reason...I feel like I'm not gonna lose here." Luffy sprints towards the large man, spinning his arm around and cocking back. "Gum-Gum..."

"Iron Body."

"...Rifle!" His blow slams into his chest, sending him sliding straight back while coughing violently. "Gum-Gum Gattling!"

"Shave!" Blueno disappears quickly, dodging the incoming attacks. From the corner of his eye he notices someone closing in and turns sharply. Run's fist smashes into his chin, throwing him through one of the strange concrete structures on top of this roof. In a storm of stone and dust he crashes hard to the ground, landing face down.

"World Government this...World Government that...I don't give a shit. We're just here to get Robin back." The large man slowly pushes himself up and turns to face them. Blueno turns his head and spits out a mouthful of blood before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I underestimated you. Moon Walk!" He disappears, appearing high above their heads. "Tempest Kick!" Both dodge back quickly, avoiding the wave of energy, and then a second. "Iron Body!" He smashes down in front of them, pulverizing the stone. "Wheel!" Blueno cart-wheels towards them. Run lunges forward, and a loud 'smack!' follows as he blocks the man's leg with his forearms. The red head drops down, spinning and launching a leg out.

"Sea King's Sweep!" Blueno's leg is swept out from under him, and the red head rises quickly. "Sea King's Fang!" He drives his elbow into the large man's chest and sends him crashing back across the roof.

"...Door-Door." The man is gone the next second and both look around quickly. "Door-Door." Luffy's ankles are grabbed tightly, and he's pulled down into the roof through two small holes. He pushes against the stone, attempting to free his legs.

"Help! The roof is eating me!" screams Luffy, pushing against the stone with all his might.

"Aah! Just wait! I'm coming!" Run yells, running towards the red head. Blueno suddenly appears out of the ground between them.

"Revolving Door!" Blueno says, swiping his hand at Luffy's face. His head divides quickly with the middle spinning around in circles. "I'm a Door Human with Door-Door Devil Fruit powers." Luffy casts his arms out in an attempt to stabilize himself regardless of his inability to actually fall. "I can change all things that partition into doors."

"Aah! I feel dizzy! Which way is he?!" Blueno turns to face the red head who is charging him. His fist slams into his jaw, casting him away from the two and sending him sliding across the roof-top. While Luffy continues panicking, Run reaches out and catches his face mid-spin before correcting it. "Thanks, Run." With a little help, Luffy manages to get himself unstuck from the roof and both turn towards Blueno, who appears to be no worse for wear. "Hmmm...no good."

"What?"

"It's no good, the way I am now. Ever since we had that fight with Aokiji I realized that we're going to encounter even stronger guys in the future. If that's the case, then I need to get even stronger if I'm going to protect my friends. After all, Run was the only one who was able to hit him. I can't just leave the fighting to him when we bump into strong guys like that."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"I came up with a way to fight with all my might..." He squats down, and they watch as he steam slowly begins to rise from his body. His legs slowly compress and release. "...so that I won't lose anyone...so that no one will have to go away." When he's finished, he looks squarely at Blueno. "You'll now...never be able to keep up with me. Second Gear!"

"Well...I guess as long as we're getting really serious," Run mutters, cracking his neck loudly. His arms and legs are coated in Haki, hardening and turning black as pitch. "That trick of yours...after watching it so many times...I'm wondering if I can do it, too." Luffy cocks back, pointing his free hand at the man.

"Gum-Gum..."

"Hmph, why don't you hit me if you can," Blueno tells him. "Shave!"

"...Jet Pistol!" His fist strikes the large man in mid-movement, sending him crashing straight back into the stone railing of the roof. Blueno tears out of the rubble, and scatters the smoke with a wave of his arm. A look of sheer astonishment paints his face as he stares at an empty space.

Run appears out of thin air, striking Blueno from his right side, and casting him across the roof-top. His foot has barely touched the ground before he disappears again. Luffy is on him seconds later, driving his fist into Blueno's stomach and smashing him into the roof before leaping back. He sits up quickly, scanning the roof rapidly, looking for any sign of the two.

"I...I can't see them!" screams Blueno. "I can't see them at-" Another punch sends him flying away, although he plants a hand and springs to his feet this time.

"Stamp!" shouts Luffy, smashing him back into the roof from above. "And Spear!" Arms stretch out, gripping his head tightly. "Missile!" The impact drives him even further into the stone. He pushes himself up with a grunt, eyes flicking left and right.

"It...It can't be." A hard blow to the face sends him sliding back on his feet. "There's no doubt about it...these two...these two have copied it! They've copied one of the six powers, Shave!" Without a moment to spare, he turns away quickly and escapes from them through a door he's created. Both come to a stop in place, slowly turning their heads to look for him.

"He disappeared." Run breathes heavily, slowly raising a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. This technique...it certainly places a strain on his body. He'd figured out the basics behind it by just watching Blueno use it again and again, and he imagines that Luffy did much the same. However, he isn't sure when Luffy came up with the idea for his new technique 'Second Gear' or when he developed it.

"Door-Door!" Both disappear from sight, appearing several meters away as the man lunges out of his created door. He strikes the ground and springs forward, turning in air to face them.

"When you guys disappear...I saw what you did. You kicked the ground over ten times in a single moment. I got the hang of it, too. It's nice to know that a technique like that exists. Thanks to meet you guys, I'm able to grow stronger now." He stretches his arms straight back. "Gum-Gum..." He disappears from sight, reappearing in front of him. "...Jet Bazooka!" His palms strike Blueno in the chest, sending him sliding back nearly to the edge of the roof...although he appears to have weathered the technique with Iron Body. "You body just might be as tough as Run's...well, then...I'll show you something much more interesting! Third..."

Luffy raises his thumb towards his mouth but stops when Blueno collapses face down in front of them. "Guess not," Run mutters.

"Aah, I'm so exhausted. Just like I thought...my body can't keep up, yet." Both of them turn to look towards the tower in the distance, and slowly begin approaching. They jump up onto one of the many spires running along the edge of the roof. Run takes a deep breath and then turns his head skyward.

" **ROBIN! I'VE COME TO GET YOU!** " bellows Run, voice echoing loud across the entire island. Luffy, in the mean time, suddenly removes two shanks of meet from his pocket and stuffs them into his mouth, complaining about how hungry he is and how small his pockets are. Seconds later, the tower wall facing them explodes and someone goes smashing into the fence, knocking it off and nearly falling with it. From their position on top of the spire, Run can make out not just Franky...but Robin as well. " **ROBIN!** Just wait there! We're coming to get you!"

"Oh, I can see Franky, too! Its a little far, but I think I can shoot us across the gap!" Luffy jumps down and goes running back towards the opposite side.

" **STOP**!" Robin suddenly screams, stopping Luffy in is tracks and confusing them both. "How...How many times do I have to tell you, Run? I'm not coming back! I don't want to see your faces again! Just go away!"

"Robin."

"When did I say that I wanted you to rescue me?! I...I hate you, alright?! So just go, already! I just want to be left alone to die!" Run's head tilts down slowly, as Luffy approaches. Across the way, CP9 gathers on the same balcony staring across the gap at them.

"You...You want to die?!"

"That's right!"

" **WHY**?! No one here is asking you to die! No one is expecting you to! After coming all this way, there's no way I'm going to let it happen before we rescue you!" The roof of the tower explodes behind them, and Luffy and Run look back quickly. Nami, Chopper and Zoro appear from the huge hole. Sanji bursts through seconds later, followed by 'Sogeking' who goes sailing over the railing and crashing down into the concrete. With the whole crew gathered, they turn to look back at Robin and the other members of CP9. "If you want to keep saying those things, then do it when you're back at our side!"

"He's right!"

"Robin! Come back!" The gather slowly, standing on the spires beside Luffy and Run.

"No matter what...you can leave the rest to us!" Run shouts, watching her begin to tear up.

"How are we going to get over there?" Luffy asks.

"There's a draw bridge," Zoro tells him. "The Franky Family is working on bringing it down. Once it is, we can go over to the other side as once." Obnoxious laughter reaches them as a man with some kind of strange metal plates attached to his face approaches the railing of the building.

"Don't you stupid pirates get it?!" questions the man. "Putting on a brave front like this doesn't change anything! You're up against the assassin group CP9, and the weight of the Gates of Justice can't be moved by human strength! But above all things..." He holds out a golden transponder snail. "...I have the authority to exercise a Buster Call! The very thing that wiped Nico Robin's home off the map!"

"Don't!" Robin screams. "Not that!"

"Oh? That's a nice reaction! It gives me chills!" Run growls loudly, teeth grinding as the man taunts Robin.

"Do you really understand what will happen when you press it?!"

"Of course! It'll eliminate these pirates chance of escaping this island! All with the press of a button! How about it? Should I try pressing it?"

"What are you doing?! Stop!" The man pauses and glares at her. "You said Ohara was wiped off the map. But you can't see Humans on a map. Because the World Government sees the world that way, you can do such cruel things! Buster Calls are a heartless power that makes you lose sight of your goal. If...If you exercise a Buster Call right here and now...then together with Enies Lobby you will disappear, too."

"Don't be ridiculous! There's no way we'd be eliminated by our own people's attack!"

"Twenty years ago, everything was taken from me, and many peoples lives were ruined. It was caused by a single Buster Call. That attack is now aimed at the friends I was finally able to find...the love I was finally able to find. The more I wish to be with you the more my fate will bare it's fangs at you! No matter how far we sail on the sea, I have a huge enemy that I can't shake because the world and it's darkness are my enemy! First the incident with Aokiji, where I endangered someone so dear to me...and now this! I've dragged you all into my trouble twice! If things continue like this...everyone...even you, Run...you'll eventually feel that I'm a burden! That's what I'm most afraid of! That the person I most care about will eventually abandon me! If that's how it's going to be, then I'd rather just die right here and now!"

That obnoxious laughter fills the air again. "That is indeed a sound argument! No one is stupid enough to think that you're not a burden! Look at that symbol, you damn pirates!" He points to a flag high above him on the roof quickly. "That flag indicates the unity of over one-hundred and seventy countries! Do you realize just how powerless you are to fight against it?!"

"I understand it well, now," Luffy says. "Sogeking. Shoot through the flag." The man nods in response, and then takes aim at it with a huge sling-shot.

"Special Attack...Firebird Star!" Sogeking exclaims, firing off a pellet that ignites and turns into a large bird in mid-air. It strikes the flag dead-center, burning it to ashes almost immediately.

"A-Are you insane?!" screams the man. "Do you know what you did?! Do you think you'll be able to survive after making the entire world your enemy?!"

"You think I care?!" Run bellows, glaring at the man. "Robin! I told you already, didn't I?! I like troublesome women! So you need to tell me! Tell me what it is you want!" Even from a distance they can see it...they can see her tears. "Robin..."

" **I WANT TO LIVE! PLEASE! I WANT TO STAY AT YOUR SIDE! TAKE ME OUT TO SEA WITH YOU**...!"


	36. CP9 Broken! To The Sea Of Adventure!

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," Run mutters, watching the gate lower slowly. Every one of the Straw Hat's tense, watching it slowly stretch out to bridge the gap. A loud explosion sounds moments before the draw bridge stops in place, and all heads turn down.

"It stopped?!" Sanji shouts. Run looks back up towards the tower just in time to see the metal faced man, attempting to drag Robin off. He screams at someone on the balcony to grab Franky as well. However, the man surprises them all by suddenly opening his chest and reaching in to pull out several pieces of paper.

"Th...Thats...don't tell me," stutters the man. "Those are the ancient weapon, Pluton's blueprints!"

"That's right," Franky tells him, grinning. "They're the real deal." He flips through several of the pages with a grin. "I hid them inside my body."

"G...Give them here! Give them to me!"

"Rumors are such unreliable things, aren't they, Nico Robin? While we were being brought here, I realized that you aren't an evil woman who is trying to misuse this weapon." He pauses for a moment, actually smiling and glancing briefly down at the red head below. "No, in fact, you're just a woman trying to save someone you love, aren't you? Spandam, what the Water Seven shipwrights inherited isn't just the knowledge of how to build a weapon...but how to build a weapon equal to the one an idiot like you might try to restore and then run amuck with. It's true that Nico Robin could be used to revive the ancient weapon even if she doesn't want to help you. But now she has people who are willing to gamble their lives to protect her...so I'll gamble as well."

Franky raises them up, and then suddenly blows out of a ball of fire that completely engulfs them. In a matter of seconds the blueprints are turned to little more than ash before their eyes much to Spandam's utter horror. He rushes toward Franky, attempting to extinguish the few cinders remaining and save as much as possible.

"The blueprints were kept in order to fight back! Something like this should remain a secret, and if it's exposed, it should be eliminated! Now, of course, they're nothing to fight back against that ancient weapon! If Nico Robin falls into your hands, it's all over but the crying. But when the Straw Hat's win...there won't be anything left for you at all. I'm willing to gamble on their victory!"

"Bro!" screams a voice from below. Apparently, the Franky Family can see him from their position. Franky seems just as excited to see them as they are to see him, and begins crying immediately.

"Aah, would you shut up?!" Luffy demands. "Robin is waiting! Hurry up and lower the bridge!"

"Oi, Straw Hat!" Luffy looks up towards the man quickly. "It looks like you gave my family a hand! So, in return, I'll lend my super fighting power to you guys as well!"

"You bastard, I still haven't forgiven you for what you did to Usopp!" Franky chuckles sheepishly...and then screams in surprise when he's thrown from the balcony by none other than Spandam. He plummets straight down towards the pit below the island.

"Oi, pirates!" calls a voice from Nami's pocket. She reaches into her coat, and pulls out a small transponder snail. "I heard everything. What are you guys wasting time for?"

"Eh? Well, the bridge is only half-way down," Nami tells the voice, who they identify as Kokoro.

"Half-way is good enough. I'll be there in four seconds. Jump with all your might towards the falls!" A loud whistle sounds and Luffy looks back.

"A whistle?" Luffy grunts. "That's a sea train." A grin rapidly appears on his face. "I get it." Luffy stretches his arms out, wrapping around all of them before leaping forward over the edge. "Let's go!" The plummet straight down towards the pit below. They've fallen only a few meters before Rocketman suddenly ramps off of the half lowered draw-bridge and they land on top of it. Franky is struck head on, pinning him to the nose as they sail towards the tower across the way.

Run shakes his head slowly, watching the building draw closer and closer until at last they go crashing through. They're all swept off the train in the crash, casting them them in all directions. When the storm of concrete and dust has settled, Luffy casts off a huge chunk of stone and stands slowly. "Alright! We're here!" Run is next to emerge, throwing off several pieces of concrete and slowly standing. "Aah, Run! You alright?"

"I've had less graceful landings, I suppose," Run tells him, cracking his neck loudly. Franky is standing across from them, appearing to be completely fine. Apparently, being a cyborg has it's perks.

"Alright, then! Everyone get up! This was nothing!" After several seconds of complaining, they all emerge from the rubble as well. "Alright! Everyone is fine, then! Now, let's hurry up and catch up with Robin!" They all take off running toward the stairs.

"Wait!" calls a voice, stopping them in their tracks. "Chapapapa!" They turn to face the large, and strange zipper-mouthed man. "Even if you go to the room from earlier, Robin won't be there! Nico Robin was taken by Lucci to the Gates of Justice!"

"Really?" Nami asks. "Thanks for giving us such valuable information."

"Chapapapa...I spilled the beans. Ah, well, even if you know, I'm not telling you how to get there. More importantly, we have an order to eliminate you guys, and unless you defeat us you won't be able to set Nico Robin free. So, I'll tell you one more thing." He reaches into his jacket, and produces a key. "Look at this!"

"A key?"

"This is the key to unlock the Sea Prism Stone handcuffs on Nico Robin!"

"Sea Prism Stone?" Franky echos, confusion appearing on his face.

"It's a stone that cancels a Devil Fruit user's abilities," Run explains. "It mimic's the effects of the actual sea."

"Even if you guys can actually rescue Nico Robin it won't do any good," the large man tells them. "Since Sea Prism Stone is hard like diamonds the cuffs will be on her forever." Luffy stretches an arm out towards the man, who disappears just in time to avoid being struck. "Don't be so hasty." They turn to face the zipper-mouthed man standing several meters behind them. "I didn't say that this key is the right one. There are five members including me who have a key in this tower. Each one has a key, and is waiting for you."

"Then we'll just have to defeat them all," Zoro growls. "And then we'll try them all on the cuffs."

"Let's just ignore this weirdo for now and find Robin," Nami concludes. "Then we'll deal with them."

"You could do that but then I'd have to drop this key into the sea," the man retorts. "We're giving you a chance." He disappears again, and Luffy turns intending to go chasing after him but thankfully Zoro and Usopp catch him before he can.

"Oi, hold it!" Zoro yells. "Just stay here until we decide what we're going to do!"

"Lucci is that piegon guy, right?" Sanji asks.

"That's right," Franky tells him.

"Alright. If Lucci with Robin, then we should at least let Luffy and Run go after him. Including Franky, that leaves five of us. There are six members of CP9. We'll get the key's for Robin's handcuffs and then go after the two of them."

"If we lose against them we lose Robin," Zoro adds. "Everyone, take them down, even if it costs you your life...!"

* * *

Running blindly through the tower, up and down stairs...it's not like it's actually going to pay off. But even so, it's not like they can do much else. Luffy shouts at the top of his lungs the whole time, yelling for Robin but never recieving a response. They might have run all the way back to Robin's original location if they were intercepted by Chimney and Gombe along the way. The moment the little girl and the rabbit spot them, they immediately call for their attention, and demand they follow them.

With no other lead, they follow after them to a hidden door and a flight of stairs. "What is this place?" Luffy asks, staring down the stairs. "A basement?"

"It's an undersea passage," Chimney tells them. "To get to the Gates of Justice, you go under the sea!" Luffy and Run quickly start down the stairs. "Wait! Do you two even know where you're going?" They briefly exchange looks before looking back at her. The red head rushes up the stairs and then kneels down.

"Let's go, get-" She launches herself onto his back, nearly knocking him flat onto his face.

"Alright! Forward!" Carrying her piggy-back with Gombe clinging to her back, they quickly go rushing down the stairs.

"You're pretty amazing!" Luffy laughs. "How did you figure out something like this was here?"

"I heard Lucci's servant going down the stairs laughing loudly! Lucci and that black-haired lady went through the doors, too!" While they're happy to have the information, Run isn't exactly sure that it's such a great idea for a child to go wandering around in a place like this. Not that he's one to really talk. As a boy, he did a _lot_ of exploring without Shanks supervision. Something that caused his father no end of worry, honestly...and provided Benn no end of amusement.

Waiting for them at the bottom of the steps is a large set of iron doors emblazoned with the World Governments symbol. Run sets down the two and watches as Luffy bangs his fist a few times against the metal.

"These doors are pretty sturdy, huh?"

"Here," Run says, approaching. "I'll open 'em."

"I got it." Luffy cracks his knuckles loudly and takes a step back from the door. "You two, stand back." Luffy raises his hand towards his mouth, and then bites into the joint. "Third Gear!" His fist inflates to nearly triple the size of his body. Run can only stare in wide-eyed surprise. Just when had Luffy developed these kinds of techniques? He cocks back and smashes it into the doors. When the smoke clears it reveals them to be completely demolished in a single blow. That amount of power...it might be the same as one of his Haki infused punches. "Alright! Let's go!"

The red head looks down as a severely shrunken Luffy. "Haaah...what the hell?" Luffy marches off down the hall, and Run shakes his head slowly. "Chimney, Gombe, go back to Kokoro. We'll take care of things from here." He takes off after Luffy, snags him up from the ground and tucks him under an arm as he continues sprinting. While they're running, Luffy slowly begins to grow in the red head's grip. When it seems he's finally reached full size, he drops him and the two continue running. Ahead of them, the tunnel seems to come to an end at a pair of large doors.

Both leap up, and kick through the doors, smashing through into a strange room that seems more storage than anything. They spot the man immediately, standing across from them with a smirk.

" _You_ ," growls Run, staring the man down.

"There you are!" Luffy screams. "The pigeon guy!"

"Really," Lucci begins, tucking his hands into his pockets. "To think that the two of you could make it this far by yourselves."

"We aren't by ourselves." A voice suddenly sounds from Lucci's jacket, and the man reaches in. It's Robin's voice ringing loud and clear, declaring that a Buster Call has been initiated. The whole of Enies Lobby is going to be wiped out, and from the sound of Spandam's voice, it doesn't sound like he really cares about what happens to the Marines or the members of CP9. "What was that?!"

"Where's Robin at," Run demands, hands balling into fists.

"She's beyond these doors," Lucci says quite simply. "I-" Rather than let him finish both rush forward. Luffy reaches him first, and snaps a kick out at the man's temple. He blocks with his elbow, and then shoves his leg aside. "At least let me finish. I'm not letting you-" Run weaves out from behind his Captain, and smashes his fist into the man's gut. His hat topples from his head as Lucci slides backwards, a hand pressed against his stomach. When the red head rushes, he snaps a kick out forcing him to duck quickly.

Luffy bounds over top of him, and throws a punch. Their knuckles meet, and cast them back seconds later, scattering the contents of the room. While the dust slowly settles, Run shoves a huge metal shipping container off of them with ease. "Good catch, Run," Luffy tells him, staring across the way at a kneeling Lucci. "Get out of the way."

"Why? Even if I let you pass, you won't be able to see her ever again."

"We're going to see her," Run growls. "Luffy. I'm going for the door." Luffy nods and the two rush forward. While Run makes for the door, Luffy grabs Lucci quickly, and throws him across the room. "Good job! I'll leave this to you, Cap'n!" Lucci stands quickly out of the debris from a shattered crate and then disappears. "Crap! Shave!" The red head disappears in turn, reappearing in front of the door. His finger-tips barely graze the door-handle before he's struck broad-side, and thrown into one of the many up-turned crates.

"So, you copied one of our techniques, red hair." A large crate sails out of the dust towards the man, then a second, and a third. His eyes narrow and he reaches a hand out quickly. Before the first has even touched him, Run explodes through.

"Sea King's Rush!" Lucci blocks his knee with a forearm, and winces in pain as it sends him sliding back, arm throbbing madly. Luffy blind-sides him, arms stretching and fists flying. Lucci bobs and weaves, avoiding them all before launching a punch back at him. Luffy blocks it with a knee before kicking back at him. Hearing foot-steps Lucci looks back to see the red head making for the door again.

"Shave." He appears between Run and the door. Run's eyes widen and he fades back, disappearing and reappearing beside Luffy.

"Damn it...he's really not going to let me get to that door."

"Give it up. You'll never see her again. I'm never letting either one of you beyond those doors." Luffy rushes forward, and launches a punch at the man. He raises a leg and blocks it with the bottom of his foot easily. Lucci is surprised however, when Run comes sliding under Luffy, plants both hands firmly and drives both feet into his chest. Lucci flies back, smashing into the wall. Yet again, Run makes a mad dash for the door. With a soft growl, he walks out of the resulting cloud of dust just as Luffy rushes again.

"Gum-Gum...Gatling!" Luffy screams. Lucci quickly dodges left and right avoiding his punches before suddenly seizing his arms. "What the?!" He swings Luffy around and throws him straight into Run, sending the two of them crashing across the room into the crates. "Damn it."

"I don't know how many times I have to say it. No matter what tricks you play, you're never getting through that door."

"Oi, Straw Hat! Red Hair!" Both of them look towards the voice quickly, finding none other than Franky standing at the entrance they'd taken to get here.

"Huh? Franky?!" Luffy screams. "What are you doing here, you jerk?!"

"Still with the attitude?! I'm on your side now, remember?!" He finally seems to notice the man standing across from them. "Lucci, huh? So, you two are having a tough time against him? Where's Nico Robin? I brought two keys for the handcuffs. Do you two need a hand?"

"No," Run tells him firmly. "He's been stopping me from getting to the door. But...but if Luffy and I both distract him, then there's a chance we can get you there." Run cracks his neck loudly. "Get it, Franky?"

"Huh...just super leave it to me, then." The two go rushing forward quickly.

"Gum-Gum Gatling!" Luffy exclaims. Lucci weaves left and right through the punches, eventually stopping one of his fists while launching a kick. Luffy stops it with his free hand and lunges back. "Gum-Gum...Pistol!" Lucci disappears, reappearing behind him. The man blinks in surprise when rather than finding himself facing Luffy he's instead face to face with Run. The red head lunges forward, hands raised and Lucci raises his own in response. Their palms meet with a resounding 'smack!' fingers locking and arms straining.

"Franky, go now!" Run bellows. Both men stand, growling at each other like a pair of dogs. Pins and needles dance through their finger-tips, the blood-flow having been cut off the moment they started squeezing. Hearing the large man running, the red head briefly glances in his direction. The moment he looks back he's surprised by a knee to the chin, his head snapping back and vision briefly blurring. "You rotten bastard!" He lunges forward, smashing their foreheads together hard enough to make stars dance before Lucci's eyes. "You're not stronger then me," snarls Run, squeezing tighter still.

Soft crackling and popping sounds as the bones in their hands grate against one another.

"Hold him still! Gum-Gum...Bazooka!" Seeing Luffy's arms in-coming Lucci growls in response.

"Hmph, Moon Walk!" calls Lucci, dragging Run towards the ceiling, barely dodging Luffy's attack. Just as suddenly as he's taken them up, he sends him crashing down, using the red head as a cushion to absorb the blow. Lucci stands and looks to the door just in time to see it closing before looking down at the violently coughing red head. "At first, I thought Blueno was simply trying to cover up embarrassment on the train...but it seems like your physical strength really is nothing to sneeze at. After what I've seen I would say you've breached the level of superhumans." He slams a foot into his chest, pinning him down. "But...it's time to die."

"Gum-Gum...Jet Pistol!" Lucci looks up quickly just in time to be struck by Luffy's fist, sending him smashing into the wall across the room. Run rolls quickly out of the crater, and looks across the room to see Luffy steaming the same as on the roof. "Second Gear."

"Now you've done it." Run slowly stands and turns to face Lucci, finding the man changed into some kind of leopard-human hybrid.

"I take it you haven't forgotten, Straw Hat. You went down with a single thrust from this form. Shave." He disappears and reappears right in front of them. "Finger Pistol!" Run lunges back while Luffy disappears just as quickly.

"Jet Bazooka!" exclaims Luffy, smashing his palms into Lucci's back, and sending him stumbling in Run's direction. He cocks back, hardening his fist quickly, and then punches him hard enough in the face to drive him head first back into the pavement. He bounces, and lands on his knees, stunned. "Jet Pistol!" He's thrown back from the impact, right into Run's arms. The red head catches Lucci, by an ankle, yanks him back and drives a fist into his chest, smashing him straight down into the stone floor with a loud 'crack!' accompanying it.

He paces backwards slowly towards Luffy, breaths coming in deep gasps. Using Shave so many times in a row is really taking it's toll. His legs feel like they're weighted down by lead, and his lungs are burning like he's run a marathon. Lucci slowly rolls onto his stomach, and pushes himself up while pressing a hand to his ribs.

"I see now. It's basically like doping. You use your legs like a pump, and accelerate your blood-flow. Normally, a persons heart would explode from the spike in blood-pressure but since every internal organ, every vein, every cell is made of rubber, it's problem. However...it seems like you can't handle the spike in strength for long. That technique appears to be double-edged. You're basically eating away are your own life."

"It's better than losing something that's right before your eyes. I'll do whatever I can."

"Being too stubborn isn't good. Didn't you hear those explosions earlier? Those shots were Navy Ships trying to get their range and then zero in. Pretty soon, they'll start firing at once. Your friends in the Tower of Law are going to die there. Even if there are a few lucky one's here in this underground passage..." He whips around, and launches a wave of energy from his leg, splitting open the wall and allowing sea water to flood in.

"You bastard! What did you just do?!"

"Sea water will rush into this underground area, ensuring that anyone in it will drown. That naive idea of yours that you can save everyone and escape...let's see how it plays out, shall we?" Lucci suddenly takes off, using Moon Walk to escape through a hatch at the roof of the room.

"You bastard!" Luffy grabs Run with one hand and then stretches his freehand up towards the ladder. They scale it quickly, and find themselves in another large storage area with Lucci waiting for them with a malicious smirk on his face.

"This place is above sea level, so there's no chance of us getting soaked." Loud cannon fire sounds in the distance, and the resulting explosions rattle the long forgotten dust from the roof of the room. "You can hear it, can't you? The sound of the battleships cannons. What happened to your crew...what happened to Nico Robin...with all those thoughts swirling around in your head, you must be worried. If you want to go rescue them, then go right ahead."

"I'm not taking my eyes off of you. No matter what they're going through, I know they're going to survive. But if I let you get away, then you'll just go and kill them."

"You think just like a real Captain. How I'd like for a certain idiot to hear those words. But I wonder...wouldn't the result be the same if you died?!" Lucci charges Luffy, intent on trading punches with him and allowing the red head to fall by the way side. It turns out to be a miscalculation on his part as the red head appears at his side in an instant.

"Sea King's Bite!" Run exclaims punching the man in the jaw before he can react. Luffy seizes the moment, tying up Lucci with one of his arms before cocking back.

"Gum-Gum Rifle!"

"Iron Body. Empty Tree," Lucci announces, puffing his chest out. His fist impacts Lucci's chest, and sends him recoiling moments later. He crashes down in a large stack of crates.

"Luffy!" Run screams, turning to look.

"Tempest Kick: Leopard Tail!" He looks back, and it's struck in the chest by the swirling mass of energy, throwing him in the opposite direction of Luffy. He lands on a not so comfortable crate, completely destroying it and several others around it."How disappointing, you two are!" Lucci looks from Luffy to Run and back. "I thought after all this I had finally met some men with some back bone! But I guess I was wrong!" The red head slowly stands, brushing himself off all the while. "Oh? Maybe I was wrong." The man turns to face him with a malicious smile and slowly holds a hand out. "Flying Finger Pistol...Pick!"

The impact causes Run to take a step back, and raise a hand to his chest quickly.

"Haaah...that hurt, you bastard," Run growls, slowly lowering his hand. Lucci's eyes narrow as he stares at the blackened skin of his chest showing through the deep 'V' of his shirt.

"Third Gear!" exclaims Luffy, from behind Lucci. He whirls around as the dust clears, finding Luffy bearing down on him. "Bone Balloon! Gum-Gum..."

"If it's just a show don't bother!" Lucci laughs. "Iron Body!"

"...Giant Pistol!" The impact levels nearly the entire building, and sends Lucci flying out and crashing down on a nearby Navy ship. "Run! Let's go after him!" He nods in understanding and rushes over quickly, jumping onto Luffy's back as he leaps straight up into the sky over the deck of the ship. "Now! Gum-Gum...Giant Axe!" His foot inflates nearly as large as his fist had and he smashes it down into the center of the ship, nearly splitting it in two. Out of the corner of his eye, Run spots Lucci on one of the masts.

"Luffy, there!" Run calls, pointing.

"Damn you! Gum-Gum...Giant Whip!" Lucci leaps towards them, as Luffy swings his leg in his direction, changing to resemble a large leopard.

"Haki Burst!" Projecting his Busoshoku straight ahead of them, it strikes Lucci head on, and casts him back before he gets near. Luffy's foot pulverizes the mast, and nearly Lucci before he can make his escape with Moon Walk. When he reappears it's behind them, and he kicks the two of them straight down to the deck of the ship below.

"Tempest Kick: Victory Eagle!" exclaims Lucci, firing a wave of energy at them. Run grabs Luffy and rolls them away from the wave, that cuts through the fallen mast like butter. When the dust settles both stand quickly, staring up at Lucci. The sound of cannon fire alerts them to the fact that the Navy is now targeting the ship they're on.

Luffy takes a deep breath, grabs Run and then exhales forcefully. The air he had inflated himself with goes rushing out, sending them flying through the air and crashing back into the room they had been in only minutes ago. Run slowly pushes himself up, body aching and protesting it's every movement. "Aah, I got shrunk again," Luffy complains. The red head looks over at a now tiny Luffy. "Third Gear is a good idea but the way my body reacts..."

"How long are you going to be like that?" Run questions him.

"I was pumped up for about a minute so I'll stay shunk for that long. It's up to you until then!"

"Alright, go. I'll take care of it!" Luffy quickly goes running off to hide. He's barely disappeared before Lucci lands in front of the red head. He slowly stands, facing the man. Lucci slowly looks around, searching for any sign of Luffy before finally turning his attention back to Run.

"Where-"

"Shave!" Both men disappear the next moment, reappearing to trade several blows before disappearing again. When they finally stop, Run is breathing heavily, his legs trembling from exertion. Lucci seems somewhat amused, despite the addition of a few new bruises.

"It seems Shave wears you down, doesn't it," Lucci remarks. "You should know, if you keep forcing it you're going to destroy the muscles in your legs."

"You're one to talk. Seems Luffy's attacks did some damage...you're not as fast as you were...and you're breathing hard." Lucci's eyes narrow in response and he disappears. "Sh-" He's seized by the throat before he can move, and driven straight back into a wall off of his feet. Embedded in the stone, Lucci steps back while Run struggles to free himself from the rubble.

"Finger Pistol: Spots!" His hands are a blur of motion, nearly impossible for Run to track and closing fast. He does the only thing he can, he hardens his entire torso quickly.

"Gum-Gum...Pistol!" A fist blind-sides Lucci, tossing him aside as Luffy comes flying towards them. "Run! Look! I'm back to normal!" Luffy quickly grabs his shoulders and pulls him from the rubble. Lucci stands and faces them, apparently no worse for wear. Luffy growls and then crouches down. "This is it. It's going to be the final time." The steam slowly begins to rise from him.

"Are you trying to use up every last bit of your life and die?"

"I don't know what's going to happen...Second Gear!" All three are breathing heavy, they're all exhausted. They haven't had a knock-down drag-out fight like this in quite some time, after all. Certainly never one where they were using so many taxing techniques consecutively. "Gum-Gum...Jet Pistol!" Luffy surges forward, and Lucci leaps back as his fist impacts. "Aah! He reduced it by jumping back!" He disappears again, and Run moves forward now, intercepting him as he appears behind Luffy.

"Finger Pistol!" The two dodge left and right, appearing and disappearing as Lucci chases him quickly. Run reaches out, catching his wrist much to his surprise and then steps in close.

"Sea King's Fang!" Run shouts, slamming his elbow into his chest and throwing him back. While he's off-guard, Luffy charges quickly.

"Jet Bullet!" Luffy screams, striking Lucci in the chest again and causing him to drop to a knee from pain. "Twin Jet Pistol!" This time he's sent flying, crashing into a wall opposite them. Rather than lie there, Lucci disappears from their sight, only to reappear in front of Luffy.

"Six King Gun!" Lucci calls, thrusting both fists into Luffy's chest, throwing him back. "Tempest Kick: Victory Eagle!" Run grabs him before he hits the ground, and carries him off before the wave hits him. Run has barely set him down before he drops a knee, feeling as though all the strength has left his legs. "I told you, didn't I? That's the danger of copying a technique and using it without any training."

" **LUFFY! RUN**!" both of them turn towards the gaping hole in the wall, and find themselves staring at nearly the whole crew gathered on the end of a destroyed bridge. " **WE MADE IT HERE SAFE!** "

" **WE'RE OK!** " adds Franky.

" **YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT US!** "

" **WE RESCUED ROBIN! ALL THAT'S LEFT IS TO BEAT HIM!** " Hearing their cheering brings a smile to both of their faces...and Run slowly forces himself to his feet again, despite the pain just standing brings him. Lucci actually laughs as he looks over at them.

"They're all still alive," Lucci observes. "That's really incredible. But let's see if you two can still keep those faces a few minutes from now." Again they start moving. Luffy's Second Gear is beginning to lose it's strength, and Run's Haki has reached it's limit as well. This is the worst thing that could possibly happen. "It's pointless to struggle! No matter what, that woman isn't getting away! I'll chase her to the ends of the earth and eliminate her in the name of justice!"

"Over my dead body!" Run shouts back, swinging at the man.

"Finger Pistol!" He's struck in the side by it, grunting from pain. Lucci narrows his eyes and strikes him several more times, sending him sprawling across the ground. "I see you're beginning to weaken as well. You can no longer use those techniques of yours."

"Jet Axe!" Luffy screams, smashing his leg down towards Lucci. He dodges, and reappears behind him.

"Six King Gun!" The impact sends Luffy sliding back...and when he stops, he collapses face first to the ground. Run struggles to move but his body just won't respond, he can barely twitch a finger-tip. Both lie there, breathing heavily and bleeding just as badly.

" **LUFFY! RUN!** " screams Usopp from across the way. "What are you two doing?! Get up!"

"U...Usopp," mutters Luffy. "S...So you came...after all."

"Don't get the wrong idea! I'm here to rescue Robin! I didn't come to see your face!" Run actually chuckles a little bit, just that little bit hurting. "Oi! You! Boss Cat of CP9! You may have beat them but not me! I'll take you on, now! So bring it on!" Lucci shifts his attention from the two of them and Usopp recoils slightly under his gaze. "Th-That's right! I'm your opponent, little kitty!" Lucci growls in response, and slowly begins walking in his direction.

"O...Oi, prick," Run grunts, slowly turning onto his stomach, and attempting to push himself up. "Stay...away from him!"

"Don't...go near him," Luffy growls. "We're your opponents!"

"Opponents?" Lucci echos. "Hardly. You've lost. I've no business with defeated men. You two should just stay here and watch."

"Stop it, Usopp! He'll kill you!"

"Shut up!" retorts Usopp. "What can you do when you're half dead?!"

"I'm telling you, he's mine!" Luffy slowly struggles, pushing himself up. "I'm going to beat him!"

"Then get up! Even if though there's smoke above us we can see the sky, even if it's below us we can see the ocean...this isn't Hell! So stop looking like you're about to die, you jerk!"

"I know." Lucci stops, and turns to face them, both of them standing on unsteady feet. "I know that this isn't hell."

"Beat him! We'll all go back together!"

"So, you can still move," Lucci mutters.

"I never said I gave up," Luffy tells him. "Until...we beat you. I'm not going to even drop a knee!" Lucci growls in response, and then lauches himself towards the two of them.

"Spots!" Luffy and Run dodges and attack, attack and dodge all while not giving a single inch to the man. Lucci leaps back from them quickly. "Victory Eagle!" Both dodge in opposite directions, and Lucci rushes back as quickly as possible, taking advantage of this. He pounces on Run, seizing him with his tail before he can back away. "Ultimate Radius Six King Gun!" His fists meet the red head, and with nothing to soften the blow, it feels as if every organ, every cell has just exploded.

" **RUN!** " The red head spits up blood, and Lucci drops him. He staggers backwards, tilting as though he's going to fall...and finally braces himself.

"Th...That...all you...got?" Run coughs, spitting out another mouthful of blood. Lucci paces back from them, staring as though the two of them have completely lost their minds. "Luffy...tag in..." He drops to a knee, and coughs up more blood onto the floor.

"Gum-Gum...!"

"Iron Body!" shouts Lucci.

"...Jet Gatling!" His fists slam into Lucci, overwhelming him and driving him back into the wall. Seconds later, he smashes through it, disappearing within a storm of dust and debris. Luffy collapses fast first to the pavement, while the dust begins to settle. When they can get a clear picture...they find Lucci lying still, face down on the ground. "It's over...It's over!"

"Let's all go back together!" Run screams, voice hoarse. "Robin!" Run shoves himself to his feet with a loud groan, and staggers over to Luffy's side.

"We did it, Run." The red head grins in response, teeth tinted pink by blood, and nods firmly. He reaches down, and grabs Luffy. Run's legs buckle under the extra weight...and he drops onto his side beside his Captain, a hand pressed to the wounds on his stomach. "Run!"

"Aaah...I...can't move."

"Luffy! Run! Come on!" Usopp shouts, attracting their attention. "Let's go! Luffy! Stretch the two of you across, and then we can leave! Come on! We got Robin back!" Both of them struggle, trying to get their bodies to move but finding themselves unable to. The battleships are bearing down on them, turning their cannons towards their area. It seems they plan to erase them in a single volley.

" _Look down._ "

Both Luffy and Run pause, searching for the voice. "Who was that?" Luffy asks.

"Good questions," Run grunts.

"Everyone!" Usopp bellows. "Jump into the sea!" Arms suddenly sprout from the ground, lifting the two of them and then rolling them towards the edge where they're thrown off. Above them, both watch as the rest of the crew, and even Franky, Kokoro, Chimney and Gombe leap over the edge of the bridge with them.

" _Let's go back, everyone!_ " Run twists in air, looking down to find the Merry floating below. Cannon fire destroys the building they'd been occupying only seconds ago. " _Back to the sea's of adventure!_ "

"Get on the Merry!"

" _I came to get you_...!"


	37. The End of a Friendship! Goodbye, Merry!

Splashing down into the sea was a little...rougher than Run would have liked considering his wounds. Of course, the moment the salt water got into them, they burned as if they were on fire...and to make matters worse, the only thing he was capable of doing right now was sinking like a stone. Thankfully, he and Luffy are saved by none other than Kokoro, who throws them rather unceremoniously onto the deck of the Merry as if they didn't weigh a thing at all.

"Aah, that was close!" Luffy laughs. "I thought we were gonna get killed by those battleships!"

"Haaah...never gonna die," Run tells him, laughing as well. He tilts his head in the direction of Robin, who is standing several feet away from them. "Oi, Robin. Thanks for-" An arm sprouts from his chest, and quickly clamps itself over his mouth, silencing him.

"Run...Luffy...everyone...thank you," Robin says, sniffling slightly.

"Say stupid stuff like that after we escape from here," Zoro says bluntly. This instantly instigates a fight between Zoro and Sanji. Fortunately, it doesn't last long, as they have to worry about escaping from the Navy ships which seem intent on sinking them suddenly. Maybe it's just blind luck but when they begin firing, they succeed in hitting only the sea and then each other. Two of the large ships even collide with one another, much to everyone's confusion.

"That worked even better than I expected," Sanji calls, watching the ships crashing into each other.

"What did you do?!" Usopp screams.

"Aah, well, I closed the Gates of Justice. After all, these aren't the kind of guys we can escape from with just blind luck."

"Those whirl-pools are gonna affect us, too, cook," retorts Zoro.

"Everyone relax," Nami tells them. "There was no sea the Merry couldn't cross before, right? Just hang on until I figure out these currents!" With the Navy still firing at them, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp and even Franky go running to the Merry's stern, and begin deflecting any cannon balls that might come too close. They even resort to using Luffy at one more. They stretch him out and bounce the cannon balls back at the ships. Nami comes running out of the lounge onto the deck. "Franky! Could you do that thing?"

"Got it!" Franky calls, sprinting to the stern of the Merry. "Everyone, make sure to hold on tight! It's gonna be a little rough!" He raises his hand, bracing himself. "Coup de Vent!" He propels them forward, skimming along the surface of the ocean and leaving Enies Lobby far behind. Usopp covers their retreat with a massive smoke screen, blocking their view and leaving them with no chance of hitting them...

* * *

They're all gathered at the bow of the ship, in high spirits after the return of Robin and their escape from Enies Lobby. Chopper has done what he can to treat their wounds, and both Luffy and Run are somewhat ambulatory again. The first thing that Luffy does is jump onto the figure-head. "Thanks, Merry," Luffy says. "I never thought you'd come to us...but when I think about it you've always protected us. Thanks again, Merry." Franky chuckles slightly, watching him.

"Ya know, when I think about it," Franky begins. "It was a pretty stunt outrageous you guys pulled back there. Shooting through a World Government flag like that..."

"It was nothing. All we did was get back a friend who was taken from us." Run, who is leaning against the railing beside Robin, captures one of her hands in his own. She responds by giving it a gentle squeeze, and leaning against him. "Alright! Now, I declare that the fight is over...and we won!" With their morale higher than ever, the only thing they can do now is wait while they sail back to Water Seven. "Huh? Oi! I see a ship!"

"What?! Who is it?!" Usopp screams. In the distance, sailing quickly towards them is a huge ship, it's sails emblazoned with 'Galley-La' company. "Oh! It's Galley-La company!"

"Ahoy, Ice Pops!" The shipwrights, and even Iceburg seem happy to see them returning alive from Enies Lobby with Robin in tow. Their happiness is short-lived, however, when the bow of the Merry suddenly breaks, and pitches forward. It nearly throws them all into the sea but they manage to somehow hold on. "What the?! What happened all of a sudden?!"

"Isn't this to be expected, Luffy?" Run counters. "They said she would never sail again, right?"

"B...But even so." Luffy suddenly runs forward, and stands on the figure-head. "Oi, Ice Pops! The Merry is in trouble! Help us! You're all shipwrights, right? I'm begging you! She's our friend who has been traveling with us all of this time!"

"If that's the case," Iceburg says. "Then let her rest. I've done everything I can already."

"What?"

"I'm witnessing a miracle right now. A miracle of a ship that has long since exceeded it's limits. I've been a shipwright for many years but I've never witnessed a pirate ship this incredible! Truely, it's lived a splendid life." Silence reigns for several long moments before Luffy nods firmly in understanding.

"Alright...I understand." With the decision made, Iceburg lent them two large life-boats. Luffy, as the Captain, was going to be the one to send Merry off on her final journey. The rest of the crew gathered on the other life-boat and waited. "Merry. The sea bed is dark and lonesome, so we'll watch you until the end." Saying this, they watch as Luffy sets fire to the Merry, and gently pushes himself and the life-boat back from the ship. "Thank you for carrying us for such a long time, Merry."

They watch as the flames engulf the Merry, quickly consuming the entire ship. They're so focused on watching, they don't notice it snowing until the first flakes actually fall on them. Nami holds a hand out, and looks skyward in confusion. Chopper and Nami break down into tears, watching the Merry. It's...difficult to describe the feeling. Saving one friend, and losing another. If they had done things differently, could this have all been avoided?

" _I'm sorry. I wanted to carry you all even further. I'm sorry...I wanted to keep going on adventures with you forever._ "

"Merry!" cries Chopper, staring through tears at the burning ship. Run reaches down and gently places a hand on his head. The little reindeer immediately turns and hugs tight to his leg, crying his eyes out.

"It's us who have to apologize!" Luffy screams back. "I'm no good at steering...and sometimes I ran you into iceburgs! I tore the sails, too! Zoro, Sanji and Run are idiots, so they broke lots of things as well! Usopp would always fix things but he's no good at it! So it's us who...who..."

" _But I was happy. Thank you very much for taking good care of me all this time. I really have been happy...because I had you!_ "

" **MERRY.**..!"

* * *

"Haaah...how long are you going to stare at that thing, Zoro?" Run questions him, turning his head to look up at him.

"Shut-up," Zoro retorts. "Leave me alone." He shoves the rusted katana back into it's saya, and turns to stare back out at sea. When they'd returned to Water Seven, Iceburg was kind enough to give them a place to sleep, and sleep they did. For two whole days they sleep, only waking to use the bathroom and then drag themselves back to bed. Of course, while everyone else woke up, Luffy stayed asleep. Run can understand it. Using techniques like he did probably placed an enormous strain on his body. And of course, since waking back up Zoro has been in a terrible mood. Apparently, the loss of one of his swords is bothering him.

"You know, I can always give you Kitetsu."

"What the hell are you talking about, Red?"

"Exactly as I said. I'll give you Kitetsu if you want it." Zoro looks down at him in silence for a few moments before suddenly jumping down. "To put it plainly...Kitetsu just isn't my type of sword. It's moody, blood-thirsty, and I'm far more comfortable with a saber. I can't gamble my life wielding a sword I'm not comfortable with." Run holds the weapon out in offer. "So?"

"You'd just give away something your father gave you?"

"He'd understand." Both remain unmoving for several long moments before Zoro reaches out and grasps the saya.

"I'll borrow it. When I find a new sword, I'll give it back. I don't like getting something for nothing, Red." Zoro grips the tsuka and draws the blade, exposing it to the sunlight. He examines every single inch of the weapon, nothing left over-looked before he finally shoves it back into it's saya. "It does seem to have a bit of a temper."

"Like I...huh?" Run stands and looks out to see. "Is that a..."

"It's a Navy Ship!"

"Crap!" Both of them take off running back towards the town. They have to get back to everyone and warn them that the Navy has found them. "I never thought they'd catch up so soon." Zoro suddenly makes a right turn, and Run comes sliding to a stop. "Zoro! That's the wrong way! This way!"

"No, I'm telling you it's this way!"

"That way leads back to the shore! Just follow me!" Zoro stops after a few moments and then comes running back to him. They continue, Zoro following hot on the red head's heels as they cut a winding path through the city back towards Dock #1 and the rest of the crew. It takes them only a precious few minutes to reach it but by the time they have, they find the entrance crowded with Marines. "Damn it." Zoro draws two of his swords, as they go rushing in from behind.

They blind-side the Marines, scattering them with swords and fists, tossing them aside with ease. A man comes dropping out of the sky towards the swordsman, who suddenly turns and blocks his weapon.

"Kukuri, eh? It's not often you see those."

"Ah! Zoro, Run, wait!" screams Luffy, earning their attention as he sprints in their direction. Behind him, they can see a newly created hole in the wall of the building. Apparently, things have been pretty interesting in their absence. Someone intercepts him, delivering a kick to his chin. "Ow! You bastard!" He throws a punch at the man, who quickly disappears. "Huh? He's using that?" When he reappears he it's behind Luffy, and rushing right towards him. Luffy reaches back and grabs him by the front of his jacket. He throws him up and over into the ground before pinning with a fist raised.

There's a loud clash of blades and Run glances briefly over to find Zoro holding his swords against the man's neck. Familiar laughter reaches Run's ears and he looks over quickly, in wide-eyed surprise at none other than Garp.

"Old timer?" Run asks, confused. "Ah." He looks down quickly at the Marine who's turning purple in his choke, and releases him. The Marine sputters and coughs in response, crawling over the unconscious Marines surrounding him back towards safety.

"You guys are no match for them after all!" Garp laughs, staring at them.

"You're really strong," says the pink haired man. "I'd expect nothing less." Luffy releases him and both stand. Run steps over the unconscious Marines as well, approaching Luffy and Zoro. "Luffy, Zoro, Run, it's been a while. Do you recognize me?"

"Who are you?" Luffy asks, tilting his head.

"It's me, Coby!"

"Coby?!" Run actually laughs, and shows him a geniune smile before reaching out to pat him on the head.

"Haah...so you're all grown up now, huh?" Run teases. "Last time we saw you, you were barely up to my hip and now you're as tall as Luffy." The boy chuckles sheepishly, and Run lowers his hand.

"Why are you in the Grand Line?" Zoro questions him.

"Well," Coby begins. "I've still got a ways to become a Navy Officer, but when I heard you guys were nearby I just wanted to see you so badly!" He snaps to the position of attention and renders them a salute. "We owe you three for helping us become who we are now! For various reasons Vice Admiral Garp is currently training us at Navy Headquarters."

"Hmm, well, you know, usually people can only grow so much," Luffy tells him. "I'm really surprised! You were kinda flabby before!" Saying that, they all turn and start walking back towards the place Iceburg has given them to rest in. "Come on! It's been a while, so let's have a party!"

"Oi, wait a second!" calls the blond who attacked Zoro. "Didn't you notice me?!" They stop and look back at him. "It's me!"

"Who are you?" Zoro grunts out in question.

"Helmeppo! The son of Captain Morgan! I'm the man who nearly executed you, Roronoa Zoro!"

"I remember you!" Run calls, snapping his fingers as if it's all come back to him. "You were the guy with that strange onion hair-cut!"

"Oh, yeah," Luffy drawls. "There was a guy like that, wasn't there." Grap, seeing and break in the conversation, takes this opportunity to put the still conscious Marines and those coming around to repairing the wall. They immediately argue in protest, asking him to help since he's the one who did it. So, he assists them rather than yelling, since it is his fault after all. Although, he'd have helped regardless. He isn't the kind of man to throw his rank around, after all.

"Come to think of it, Luffy," Grap calls, driving a nail into a board. "I heard you ran into your father."

"My father?" Luffy echos. "I have a father?"

"Oh, then, he didn't tell you who he was. I heard that he saw you off in Lougetown."

"What's my dad like?"

"Your father's name is Monkey D. Dragon. He's a revolutionary!" Everyone around the man stares in wide-eyed surprise. Only Luffy is the one who doesn't seem to get exactly what this means, and so he slowly turns to look at everyone.

"Oi, what's everyone so worked up about?"

"You've never heard that name before?!" Sanji demands.

"Your father is a dangerous man!" Nami screams. Luffy scratches his head slowly in confusion before turning to Robin for further explanation. She tells him Dragon is the leader of a group of revolutionaries attempting to bring down the World Government. He's hunted as the worlds most heinous criminal but no one knows anything about the man.

"Aah...I guess I shouldn't have said anything about it, huh?" Garp asks. "Well, forget I said anything, then..."

* * *

"Since you're my grandson, I've decided not to capture you on this island!" Garp tells him. "That's the excuse I'm going to give the Navy, so stay here and rest easy!" Garp's right hand man tells him that's not a good excuse, and they'll just tell them instead that they escaped. "I came here with these two but it seems they want to visit for a while. So, I'm going to go on ahead."

"Aah, see ya," Luffy replies. Garp punches him in the head, throwing him to the ground quickly.

"Be more reluctant to say goodbye, idiot! You haven't seen your grandpa in forever!"

"What do you want from me?! All you ever did was hit me!"

"Even so, I still want my grandson to love me!" Run slowly shakes his head in response, and reaches down to pick Luffy up. "And you, brat!" He punches Run right in the top of the head, and he squats down immediately, rubbing it furiously.

"That... _hurts_!" Run complains.

"Don't think I'm going to forgive you and your father for poisoning my grandson's mind with all this piracey nonsense. You could have been a proper Marine, too, if you'd been given the chance." When the pain finally dulls, he slowly stands. "Alright. I'm going to go now." Saying that, he walks away, the rest of the Marines following. Coby and Helmeppo watch them go. After he's disappeared Luffy goes with the two of them to talk but Run excuses himself from it when he spies Robin leaning against the newly rebuilt window frame staring out at him.

He approaches slowly, a smile appearing on his face. Robin follows him with her eyes until he finally stops in front of her. "Yes?" Run almost purrs.

"Nothing," Robin replies, tapping a finger against her chin. "Just watching."

"Hmm...so you watch people you hate, huh?" Robin leans forward quickly, surprising him.

"You don't think I meant that, do you? I was just-" Run silences her immediately be leaning forward, and slanting his lips to her's in a kiss. Before she can react, or deepen the kiss he leans back just as suddenly with a lop-sided grin on his face.

"You know, I think I really like teasing you." A pair of arms sprout from the window frame, grip his shoulders and pull him forward to her. Robin's lips are full and soft, and her perfume goes straight to his head. Before he can completely lose himself, there's a sharp pain on his bottle-lip and he jerks back slightly. Robin giggles while watching as he chews his bottom lip between his teeth.

"It's not nice to tease a woman in love, Run," Robin tells him, puncuating her sentence with a playful snap of her teeth. The arms disappear and Run raises a hand, gently thumbing his bottom lip and then examining it. It's not like he actually expects to find any blood, though.

"Haaah...if that's what I can expect every time-" That same lop-sided grin returns in full force. "-I'll just have to keep at it, then."

"Mm, you're incorrigible..."

* * *

Eventually, Coby and Helmeppo had to go, and after they left the whole crew gathered in the pool adjacent to the house Iceburg has lent them. Sanji gets to work setting up a barbecue to grill some lunch on. It isn't just them, either, but also Kokoro, Chimney, Gombe and the giant frog Yokozuna. Run was, at first, rather surprised to find out that Kokoro was an actual mermaid but like the rest of the crew, it eventually wore off. After all the things they've seen on their travels, a mermaid isn't all that strange, after all.

Upon seeing the pool, Run dives right in. Swimming is one of his favorite things, after all. Robin takes a seat in one of the reclining chairs under a large parasol, watching him splash around and have fun. Chimney and Gombe cling to him, riding his shoulders or his head as he joins in knocking a volley-ball around with Kokoro, Yokozuna and Nami.

"Nami~! Water-Water Meat barbecue is ready~!" Sanji suddenly calls, attracting their attention. Kokoro is the first out of the water, leaping out with great power to land on beside him. Sanji breaks down in tears when she accepts the shish kebab spears from his hands, and polishes them both off in a single bite. Everyone else gathers around, eating the food offered.

"Oi, why are you crying?" Zoro asks.

"Shut-up! There's just smoke in my eyes!" He turns to Robin quickly. "Robin! How is it? You can tell it was well marinated, right?" Robin responds with a smile and a nod of her head. Hearing running foot-steps, all heads turn to find the Franky Family rapidly approaching.

"Straw Hat! We heard that you woke up!" Zambai calls.

"Oh! Franky Family! Come here and eat with us!" Not one's to turn down a free meal, the men come rushing forward in an instant. An earth-shaking rumble follows several moments later, and the two King Bulls belonging to the Franky Family appear. Naturally, Chopper invites them to the party, as well. Flanking them are two giants, who Run remembers Usopp telling him about. They're Kashi and Oimo, the gate guards from Enies Lobby. No sooner have they joined in the party then the shipwrights of Galley-La appear, including Iceburg.

Even Franky, and the girls usually accompanying him, Mozu and Kiwi, join in. Apparently, they're taking a break from building a ship. Run is naturally curious about this, and Robin tells him that Franky is building a ship for them as his way of apologizing for stealing their money. The hours seem to fly by from there in a blur of food, drink and laughter. The red head eventually notices Robin at the outskirts of the party, and approaches, glass in hand. She picks him out of the crowd, smiling and leaning against the wall behind her.

When her smile suddenly fades he slows his steps for a moment before doubling his pace, approaching quickly. "Oi, Robin, whats-"

"Good timing," calls a familiar voice. A scowl immediately splits his face. His mug clatters against the ground as he drops it, and reaches out to sweep Robin away from the wall. He's going to punch right through towards the relaxed voice on the opposite side. Harsh crackling sounds as he raises his fist, and he stops cold in his tracks. "Relax. I'm not here to fight." The cold, sharp tip of an ice-spike presses against the skin over his heart. "I just want to talk. To Nico Robin, and to you, Run."

"You should know I really hate party-crashers, Aokiji," Run snarls, slowly lowering his fist.

"Really? Then, I won't stay longer than necessary." A sharp 'crack!' sounds as the ice-spike shatters, pieces scattering along the ground. "Why didn't you run away, as usual, Nico Robin? I'm sure you could have escaped from CP9 if you'd been so inclined."

"I told you before it's different now," Robin tells Aokiji. Soft fingers gently intertwine with Run's own. "I just couldn't...I couldn't stand by and watch someone I love die."

"Jaguar D. Saul, that Giant who fought for Ohara twenty years ago, he was a close friend of mine." Her hand squeezes his tightly, and Run glances over, giving her's a gentle, reassuring squeeze in response. "On that day, I let you escape according to his wishes. I'm obligated to watch over your life to it's end. Eventually, after so many betrayals, it seemed as if you'd found a home with 'Red Hair' and his boy; you, Run. But when I learned that you were no longer with them, I realized I could no longer allow a ticking time bomb to bounce around as it pleased. I decided that I should settle things...I could never have imagined that CP9 would be defeated, however."

"Jokes on you then, Aokiji," Run grunts, smirking. "How are the ribs, by the way?"

"Hmm...you're a rather vindictive man, Run."

"Only when someone hurts a person close to me."

"So it seems. Tell me, can you bear the burden that comes with loving a woman like Nico Robin? A woman condemned to be hunted by the World Government until the end of her days? People as strong as, if not stronger than myself, will never quit looking for her. You'll never know a moments peace, even in old age. Do you have the strength for it? The will to see such a life through?"

"Is that supposed to scare me? All that means is that means is I'm going to have to surpass my father sooner rather than later. When I've become that strong, it won't matter."

"Hmm...well, we all like to imagine our father's as being invincible, I suppose."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Aokiji's chuckle unnerves the red head.

"Whether Saul was right or wrong...will you show me the answer from here on out?"

"I intend to," Robin replies simply.

"Good. Now, live and love strongly, Nico Robin." Both of them hear the sound of foot-steps departing and Run growls a bit. Just what did he mean? Is something going on with his father right now? Is he in trouble? Does he need help? No, even if he is in trouble it's not like it's something he can't take care of, right? He's one of the four strongest pirates in the entire world, after all. He's so lost in thought and worry that he doesn't hear Robin calling his name, or even realize she's talking to him until she gives his hand a squeeze.

"Run."

"H-Huh?" Run grunts, turning to look at her. "What?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah."

"Shanks is fine. You of all people should know that." Run falls silent again for several moments before nodding in agreement. "Good. Now, come on. There's still a party going on, right...?"

* * *

In the end it turned into quite the raucous party for them, and nearly the entire town showed up for it. When all was said and done, it took the crew a few days to recover from the festivities and clean up the mess that wsa made. Eventually, a newspaper detailing the events of Enies Lobby makes it's way into their hands while they're recovering in the home Iceburg has lent them. It covers up the Buster Call quite well by blaming everything on the Straw Hat Pirates. It asserted that they'd declared war on the World Government and even set fire to Enies Lobby during their storming of the island.

But there wasn't a single mention of the Franky Family, or Galley-La to be found anywhere. The World Government certainly knows how to commit to a cover-up, it seems. "It must have been Aokiji," Robin whispers to Run, sitting on the window-sill. "Although, why he did it...I couldn't imagine."

"Who knows?" Run whispers back. "I can't figure that bastard out, either." Since the party, Run has written several letters and sent them off to Shanks and the crew. He can't just let Aokiji's words go for some reason. What exactly did he mean?

"Looks like our bounties are gonna go up," Zoro announces, grinning.

"Do you think I'll get a bounty, too?" Chopper asks excitedly.

"Maybe," Sanji tells him. "But I'm the one who should be worried. 'A superstar appears!'...that's what it'll say!"

"Why are you guys so happy?!" demands Nami. "What, are you stupid or something?!" While they're talking, and arguing, the topic of Franky building a ship pops up. Luffy is beside himself with anticipation when he leans that the ship he's building is going to be for them. Something he might have learned if he were actually awake for it. Nami sighs heavily, and stands. "I'm going to go shopping while we wait." She approaches the safe they've placed the money in, and when she opens it, she simply stares in for several long moments. "Where did the hundred million Beli we had go?"

"Oh, that?" Luffy asks. "We spent it on the party to buy meat, booze and party things."

"You idiot! That was our money! Now we hardly have anything left!"

"I can imagine! Nearly everyone showed up for it!" Nami tosses Luffy a beating worse than any of the one's they've seen her give him before.

"I wanted to get beautiful furniture for the ship," whines Nami...

* * *

Several more days pass after Nami's little explosion, and eventually she announces to them all that the Log Pose has been set and is pointing to their next destination. Kokoro takes one look at the Log Pose and then bursts out into laughter. "Do you guys know where that'll take you?" Kokoro questions them.

"No, where?" Nami asks, raising her wrist to closely examine the needle. "Now that you mention it...it does look like it's pointing slightly down."

"Of course it is! The next island is a paradise on the seabed...Fishman Island." Sanji is beside himself with happiness, claiming the place as one of the most famous in all of the Grand Line. Again, Kokoro breaks out into laughter and nods. "That's right. But it's not easy getting to this island, you know." Run nods in agreement. He knows what's going to be required to get to Fishman Island; they're going to need to get the ship coated. Which means they're going to have to stop at the Sabaody Archipelago...but there's no point in bursting bubbles, so to speak. He'll pass the information on to Luffy when the time is right.

"I'm concerned with it being on the seabed," Robin tells them.

"That's no the problem." Kokoro tosses a newspaper onto the table, and Nami promptly picks it up. According to the paper, fourteen ships have disappeared in this month alone. "That's right. It's the Devil's Triangle. Also known as the Florian Triangle. You can't reach Fishman Island without passing through those seas. More than one-hundred ships a year go missing in those waters, never to be seen again. On occasion, the ships will turn up, missing their crew, or crewed only by the dead sailors."

"Nope," Nami says simply. "We're not going! I don't want to go there!"

"Isn't there something you're forgetting, Nami?" Robin questions her. "If there are ghost-ships floating out there...then obviously, there might be treasure ships as well." Robin knows well how to play their Navigators greed to their benefit...and Run hopes she never tries to play him against himself.

"Let's go!" Hearing someone calling, all heads turn towards the doors to the room where are thrown open. Kiwi, Mozu, Chimney and Gombe all charge in, panting heavily.

"Franky asked is to come get you!" Mozu pants.

"The dream ship is finished!" Kiwi adds.

"That was fast!" Luffy laughs.

"Alright! Let's get going!" Sanji shouts. Hearing more screaming for 'Straw Hat', they all head outside to find the Franky Family sprinting in their direction. By their heavy breathing and sweating, it seems pretty obvious that they ran the whole way from wherever they're coming from. They all nearly collapse on the ground in front of the crew.

"We have a huge favor to ask of you," Zambai begins. "Did you guys see the wanted posters?!"

"Wanted posters?" echos Run, an edge of anticipation creeping into his voice.

"Yeah! The bounty on your and Luffy's heads has gotten crazy! All the others have gotten them, too!" The crew is a mixed bag of emotions. Some are excited, and others seem worried. "Instead of explaining, just look for yourselves!" Zambai throws down several wanted posters on the ground in front of them.

'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy - 300,000,000

'Red' Run - 230,000,00

'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoro - 120,000,00

'Cat Burglar' Nami - 16,000,000

'Cotten Candy Lover' Tony Tony Chopper - 50

'Devil Child' Nico Robin - 80,000,000

'Black Leg' Sanji - 77,000,000

'King of Snipers' Sogeking - 30,000,000

"What the?" Sanji whispers, staring at his poorly drawn likeness on the poster. "Who is that?" Zoro actually laughs at the cook, staring at it.

"Fifty?" Chopper reads, dejected. Nami seems to be on the verge of fainting as she stares at her bounty.

"Oi, look! Sogeking has a bounty, too!" Luffy points out, laughing.

"W-Well, we sympathize with you," Zambai begins. "But the favor we're talking about regards this!" He pulls out a final wanted poster from within his shirt.

'Cyborg' Franky - 44,000,000

Mozu and Kiwi are beside themselves with worry, wondering what's going to happen to Franky. "We were somehow about to get off the hook but Bro had no such luck. He can't continue to stay in Water 7! If he does, then his life will be in danger! There's no way we'll be strong enough to rescue him from someone who comes after him! But he'll never leave the island because he's worried about us! So...so we talked about it. Please! Please, take Bro out to sea with you, even if you need to use force! He's a pirates son to start with! It's in his blood...!"


	38. Escape Water 7! The Ghost Sea Awaits!

Hello~! Long time no see, I suppose! I've been meaning to update lately, but I've been busy with this, that and the other so a few things fell by the way side! But here I am, again! I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you do, be sure to let me know! Without further ado, here you go!

* * *

They've gathered their things, they've left their temporary home, and they're ready to sail again. The crew makes their way to scrap island, and rather than find Franky waiting for them they find Iceburg instead. The man is standing in front of a ship covered by a huge tarp. Iceburg tells them that in place of Franky, he's going to be revealing the ship that was built for them. "This ship is truely incredible," Iceburg, tells them. He grips the edge of the tarp tightly. "When I saw the blue-prints, I was amazed! It can, without a doubt, sail any sea! With a ship like this reaching the end of the world isn't just a dream!"

"Hurry, hurry!" Luffy says, bouncing up and down.

"This is Franky's message to you, Straw Hat!" He yanks the tarp off, revealing a magnificent ship. "If you're to be King of the Pirates...board this ship fit for the King of the Jungle!" Everything about the ship was simply amazing. It was at least twice as big as the Merry, and, if what Franky said was true, created from wood capable of taking quite a bit of punishment. Everyone on the crew seemed to find exactly what they were looking for in a ship, in this ship. All in all, none of them has a single complaint about it.

"Oi, Ice Pops! Where's Franky? We'd like to thank him!"

"Aah...well, it seems like he has no intention of meeting you guys again." Luffy cocks his head in confusion. "Straw Hat, you're planning to ask him to be your shipwright, aren't you?"

"Yeah! I've decided that he's going to be our shipwright!"

"He seems to be aware of that."

"So, he doesn't want to, then?"

"Just the opposite!" Iceburg laughs. "In fact, he's not sure that he could turn you down if you asked. That's why he went and hid...but his honest wish is to set sail with you guys. That he's entrusted this dream ship he's been planning for so long to you guys is proof of that. Honestly, he's just being stubborn if you ask me. But...if you truly intend to take him with you...then do whatever it takes!" Upon hearing his words, Luffy nods in understanding.

"Alright! Let's go...!"

* * *

Luffy, Sanji and Zoro have been gone for only a few minutes but the ruckus that's kicking off in the city can only be the result of fighting with Franky. Things come to a head, so to speak, when Franky himself suddenly comes crashing down several meters away from the ship. Except for his shirt, he's naked as the day he was born. Luffy drops out of the sky seconds later, landing on the railing of the ship with the cyborg's swim-suit clutched on his hand. The red head pinches the bridge of his nose, brow furrowing. "That's...far more of Franky than I have ever wanted, or needed to see," mutters Run.

In the distance, a group of Water 7 citizens shout at the man to put some pants on. Franky ignores them completely, shoving his sunglasses up calmly. "Oi, Straw Hat," Franky calls. "How about giving me my swimsuit back?"

"Sure," Luffy agrees. "After you join our crew."

"Huh. You really think I'll join just because you stole my swimsuit?" Franky surprises them all by suddenly striking a pose, arms held over his head in his signature style. Clearly, the man has absolutely no shame in regards to his nudity. "Nothing should phase a man! He should always be comfortable and resourceful in his own skin! Like a lion that stands against any challenger!"

"Haaah...gimme us a break, Franky!" Run shouts back. "There are kids in that crowd!"

"Waah! I totally underestimated him!" Luffy cries. "What a strong-willed guy!" Nami smacks him in the back of the head, claiming he's nothing being willful just a pervert.

"If it's alright to be a little rough, I can help," Robin tells them.

"Well...Ice Pops did say we would have to use force to pursuade him. So, I guess it's alright." Robin smiles a bit in response and crosses her arms in front of her calmly.

"Dos Fleurs." The red head narrows his eyes in response, a bad feeling settling in his gut as if by instinct. She's not...there's no way she would do that, right? She absolutely wouldn't do that to someone, right? "Grab!" Franky's eyes look as if they're going to pop right out of his head as she squeezes some very tender areas. Luffy, Run; every man within eye shot, actually, feels a shudder race through them as if sympathizing with him.

"She grabbed them!"

"You're going to crush them!" Chopper screams.

"That just isn't right," Run mutters, wincing slightly himself. Franky collapses onto the ground, thrashing about in pain.

"Oi, Robin!" Luffy shouts. "I want him to still be a man when he joins!"

"If you're telling us, pirates, to back off a treasure right in front of us, then you need to provide a good reason," Robin tells the man, ignoring his cries of pain. "Right?" Franky's pain tolerance is nothing to sneeze at apparently, as he seems to overcome the pain enough to face them.

"I-I already told you," Franky begins, grunting briefly in pain. "I want to stay on the island. I appreciate you guys. I really can't thank you enough, in fact! I want to go with you and lend a hand but there's something I still have to do here! That's why I gave you the ship as a gift! But I'm no longer a shipwright, and this is the last ship I'll ever build! It is a dream ship!"

"No, it isn't, Franky," Iceburg says. "At least not yet. Everything that you've been doing here is nothing but atonement. You're holding onto the regret that Tom was taken because of you. But on that same day, Tom forgave you and tried to guide you. You brought all those punks from the back-streets together, you called yourself a bounty-hunter and protected the city from looters...you did all of that to protect the city that Tom loved as your way of atoning for it.

"That's not why I did all of that!"

"You gave up building ships, something that you loved. You've suppressed your true self all this time. Are you going to continue living the rest of your life like this? Even if Tom forgives you, even if I forgive you...you just can't let it go. But isn't it about time...that you forgave yourself, Franky? Isn't it time for you to live your own dream?" A bag suddenly comes flying towards Franky, and lands right in front of him. The Franky Family screams that inside is everything that he'll need for his trip.

Rather than accept it, he suddenly falls onto his back thrashing wildly from the pain. "R-Robin, go easy on him!" Luffy whines. "You're going to turn him into a woman!" Robin chuckles a lowers her hands, but Franky continues his squirming on the ground. "Can't you...huh? You're not doing anything?"

"I only squeezed once," Robin assures him. "Just the first time. He's very sly to use it as an excuse to cry." Suddenly, Zoro and Sanji burst through the crowd and start sprinting towards the ship.

"Huh? Zoro! Sanji!"

"We've got trouble!" Sanji screams.

"It's your grandpa!" Zoro adds. "He's come back! He's at the opposite shore! He's come back to capture us!"

"Huh?!" Luffy grunts. "I thought he said he wasn't going to try to catch us?!"

"How should we know?! Just set the sail and lets- Franky?! Why don't you have your swimsuit on, yet?!" Luffy throws Franky's swimsuit back to him with a huge grin.

"Let's go, Franky! Come on board my ship!" Franky actually grins in response.

"Don't be so hasty, Straw Hat," Franky retorts. "Don't forget that you guys are ametures who could only manage a few patch jobs. It's be a pity for such a beautiful ship to now have a proper shipwright on board to take care of her, ya know. I really don't have much choice but to help you lot out. So, I, Franky, will be your shipwright!" Saying that, he grabs his bag and leaps on board the ship. They weight anchor, set sail and begin drifting away from the scrap island. Even so, Nami and Chopper are worried. "Oi, Straw Hat, are you sure you don't have to wait for one more person?"

"I did wait. I tried to keep at least one person in our room at Galley-La so that it wouldn't ever be empty...

\- - Several Day's Earlier - -

"Eh? Usopp is coming back?" Luffy demands, smiling broadly. Sanji nods in the affirmative, telling them that he'd spotted their former sharp-shooter down by the sea shore practicing how he planned to rejoin the crew. "Really?! So he really does want to come back, after all! Then, let's go get him!" Naturally, Nami, Chopper and Luffy are all for this, and immediately make for the door. Before they can reach it, however, Run slams his palm down on the table hard enough to make everyone jump slightly in surprise.

"No," Zoro tells them firmly. "Hell, no, as a matter of fact. No one is going to get him."

"Huh? What do you mean? He wants to come back!"

"Whatever happens, don't assume a subservient attitude towards him, Luffy. I'm not going to accept him back until he apologizes."

"Hey!" Nami begins. "Who are you to decide-"

"Shut up, Nami," Run interrupts her bluntly, looking up from his coffee slowly. "Above all things, a Captain must first command respect. If a crew doesn't respect their Captain, then they'll fall apart under pressure. If Usopp can't wrap his head around that simple concept, then it's better if he never comes back. Allowing Usopp to come back simply because that's what _he_ wants is the same as allowing him to walk all over you, Luffy."

"We can give him a good talking to once he comes back but-"

"No," Zoro says again. "It's good that he wants to come back...but if he tries to beat around the bush and not take any responsibility for his actions then we'll leave him behind on this island." Sanji heaves a heavy sigh and nods in the affirmative.

"Unfortunately, I have to agree with them on this," Sanji announces.

"There's no way any of us can hope to trust a man who would leave the crew on a childish impulse," Run says. "If the first words out of Usopp's mouth are a heart-felt apology, then that's good. Forgive and forget, right? But if he tries to make excuses...there's no place for him in the crew, anymore..."

\- - Present Day - -

Luffy breaks out into a fake laughter. "I waited for him all this time but he didn't come," Luffy continues his fake laughter. "This is his answer, I guess. I'm sure...I'm sure that he'll have a fun life. He probably won't stop being a pirate so I'm sure we'll meet him on the sea somewhere!" Though Luffy says that and continues laughing, they can tell that he isn't being serious. Cannonballs suddenly strike the sea around them, causing the ship to pitch and yaw on the waves.

"Shit!" Franky exclaims. "It's the Navy! They found us!"

"Grandpa?!"

"Oi, Luffy!" echos a voice through a loud speaker. "Can you hear me?! It's Grandpa! If you can hear me, say something!"

"Gramps, what are you doing?!" Luffy grips the railing of the ship, staring at the man and his ship in the distance. They Navy ship sails quickly in their direction, intending to intercept them before they can get away. "You said that you weren't going to capture us!"

"Aah, well, a lot of things have happened! Sorry, but I've gotta send you to the bottom of the sea! I'm not doing this as an apology or something, but I'm going to fight all of you by myself!" One of the Marines on the ship approaches Garp, and hands the man a cannonball. "Meteor...Fist!" The cannonball sails by them, striking the shore and exploding.

"He threw that with is bare hands!" Sanji exclaims.

"He threw that faster than a cannon fires one!" Zoro adds, drawing two swords. "It's not like he's chucking a baseball or something!"

"We've gotta go now!" Run bellows, moving to the stern of the ship with Robin, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Franky. "We don't have a choice!" The ship turns away from the shore, making for open sea while they deflect cannonballs away from their new ship.

"He's here!" Chopper suddenly cries, running to the stern with the others. In the distance, they watch as he runs towards the shore. He spews excuses the whole time he's running, calling out for them. But none of them respond. They need to hear some simple words. "He's calling!"

"Is he?" Luffy asks.

"Can't hear a thing."

"Is that the wind?"

" **GUYS! I'M SORRY!** " They all look to the shore at the man. "I'm sorry for being bullheaded! Please, let me come back!" Luffy wastes no time in stretching an arm out towards the shore. Usopp grabs his hand, and yanks him back to the ship. As soon as he's safely on board, Franky calls for them to furl the sails. Deciding to take his advice, they quickly do this. As soon as it done, Zoro and Run drop back down to the deck below.

"Sure this is a good idea?" Zoro questions them.

"Have a little faith in the ship," Franky assures him.

"Well, whatever your planning, how about you do it now," Run retorts.

"Not yet. We still haven't named the ship, yet."

"Haaah...really? You think now is a good time?"

"Of course! Do you really want to depart on an unnamed ship?" Luffy immediately began picking random names, much to Usopp's irritation and almost everyone else's amusement. "Actually, the shipwrights came up with a name all of their own if you're interested. The Thousand Sunny."

"Yeah!" Luffy cheers. "I like it! The Thousand Sunny!"

"It's decided, then," Run adds. "Now, Franky, do you want to do whatever it was you were planning?"

"Fine, fine," Franky mutters. "You'd all better take one last look at Water 7! Because in a second, it's going to be completely out of sight!" Luffy laughs and jumps up onto the railing of the Sunny to face off with Garp and the Marines chasing them.

"Grandpa!" Luffy bellows. "And Coby and...I was glad I got to see you after such a long time! We're gonna run away with all our might now!" Rather than just let them go, Garp pulls out a gigantic ball and chain...which he promptly throws at them.

"Here we go! Coup de...Burst!" They go sailing out from under the iron ball, actually lifting off the sea and into the sky. Franky appears back on the deck, approaching them with a smile. "It consumes three barrels of cola to let us fly a single kilometer. There's nothing the Merry could do that the Sunny can't. If this ship breaks down, I'll fix it perfectly! The Sunny will carry on the Merry's brave spirit! From now on, rely on me for this ships repairs and weapons!" After they were safely away from the Navy, they decided it was time for a party.

"Alright! Let's have a toast! To Robin and Usopp who came back to us...and our new friend Franky...and to our new ship, The Thousand Sunny! Cheers...!"

* * *

And so, with Water 7 left firmly behind them they could do nothing but turn their minds towards Fishman island, their next destination. Several days pass slowly, with the crew enjoying the features of the Sunny to it's fullest. Luffy, Usopp and Chopper spend a great deal of time catching fish to throw in the tank while Franky had disappeared below deck. Run spends most of his time training, attempting to strengthen his legs so he can use Shave more freely. When he's not doing that, he finds himself holed up in the library with Robin.

What had started off as a playful game of chess had turned into a great number of sound defeats on Run's part. Now, again, he finds himself on the losing end of only a minutes long game. Even so, his determination is great, and so his answer is simply to do all he can to prolong the game. Robin giggles lightly as he moves his Knight, one of his few remaining pieces. "You're trying to make me work for it," Robin tells him, promptly moving a piece and taking his.

"I'm just playing hard to get," Run teases, staring at the board. After several long moments he reaches forward and knocks over his king. "Not hard enough, though. I lose." Robin giggles again while Run slumps back in his chair, defeated.

"Care to play again?" The red head grins and nods firmly in response.

"I'm gonna win at least one of our games. I don't care how many times we have to play." A loud commotion from the deck outside gives them pause, and Run stands with a sigh. "Guess that'll have to wait. Let's see what's going on." Robin stands and follows him out onto the deck of the Sunny. Usopp, Luffy and Chopper dance their way towards a large barrel with a black and red flag sticking out of the top of it. 'Offer to the Sea God' is emblazoned on the flag.

"Treasure! Tresure! A treasure of silver and gold!" they cheer.

"Not quite!" Nami says, stepping out onto the deck. "That barrel contains booze and rations."

"How would you know if we haven't cracked it open, yet?" Luffy counters.

"It called a drifting barrel. Someone made an offering to the god of the sea in the hopes of a safe voyage. It's meant to be a gift to a god."

"Well, we picked it up," Zoro announces, approaching the barrel at the same time as Run. "So, let's drink the booze ourselves."

"I've heard that these things are usually filled with some good stuff," Run adds. "It'd be a waste to throw it back over-board." Everyone is all for it, gathering around the barrel while Run deftly unties the knots holding the lid on the barrel. He's barely moved the lid before a loud explosion sounds. He jerks back, raising a hand to shield his face as a flare streaks skyward.

"What was that?" Nami asks, looking up as the red light slowly fades.

"A flare," Robin mutters. "I hope that was just a prank but...but someone may have been waiting for it. We may be being targeted now." Usopp and Chopper begin to panic as a result of this, and the little reindeer runs around the deck looking around for any incoming ships. Robin approaches the red head while this is going on. "Are you alright?"

"Haaah...yeah," Run replies. "Good thing I wasn't leaning over it."

"Everyone! Take your positions!" Nami shouts, running up the stairs. "A storm will be here in five minutes!" They immediately get to work, and a huge thunder storm follows. The Sunny pitches and rolls on the massive waves, while lightning bolts streak the sky. "We're caught in a head wind! It's gonna blow us back!"

"Oi, does this ship really seem like that much of a push over?" Franky laughs. "Don't forget who built it!"

"Aah! That's right! Everyone! Take in the sails!" They scramble across the deck of the Sunny, quickly furling the sails under Nami's orders. Franky takes the helm with a huge grin, rotating one of the man dials and pulling a level quickly.

"Soldier Dock System, Channel Zero." On either side of the Sunny, a large paddle driven by a cola-powered engine, emerge. With incredible ease, the paddles begin pulling them forward, cutting through the wind and waves as if they aren't even there. They escape the storm with ease and find themselves in calmer, if far creepier, waters. Most of the crew stands at the edge of the Sunny, peering off towards the horizon hidden by the thick fog.

"It's broad daylight...but with all this fog and the clouds we can't even see the sun," Zoro complains.

"Do you think maybe we wandered into that sea?" Nami wonders, feeling slightly creeped out by the area. "Aah, I'm not ready for this!"

"Are we nearing Fishman Island?" Usopp asks.

"Haaah...not quite," Run retorts. "First we have to cross 'haunted' waters." Franky grins, and turns to face all of them.

"That's right," Franky agrees. "Don't let your guard down. From the looks of things, we're already in those infamous waters...the Florian Triangle! These are mysterious waters were ships and their crews disappear without a trace every year." Luffy bursts out into laughter.

"We're in haunted waters now!" laughs Luffy.

"What the hell?!" Usopp demands. "All of you knew about this?!" Chopper clings to the red head's legs, shaking from head to toe in fear.

"That Granny from Water 7 told us! There's living skeleton's here!" Sanji strikes a match, and lights a cigarette calmly.

"Would you knock it off," Sanji mutters. "Don't frighten him anymore than he is. Look...the Florian Triangle is a place where more than one-hundred ships go missing every year. They say there are ghost-ships still carrying the dead in these waters!" Usopp breaks into a panic, claiming he needs to prepare himself by covering himself in 'anti-evil' stuff. Chopper panics as well, at least until Run reaches down and places a hand on the little reindeers head.

"Relax," Run tells him. "It's nothing but supersition." Singing suddenly reaches their ears, and all heads turn left and right looking for the noise. The source of the signing, it turns out, comes from a large, and beaten ship which slowly sails in their direction. "...Although...I... _have_ been wrong before..."

" **GHOST SHIP!** "

"Cover your ears!" Usopp demands. "It's an evil spirts sailor song! If you listen it'll drag you down with it!"

"Is someone aboard that ship?" Robin mutters in question, watching the galleon slowly pass. Run cracks his knuckles loudly, eyes narrowing to see through the thick fog. When he does see, however, causes him to cock his head slightly in confusion. Leaning against the railing of the large galleon...is a skeleton...a skeleton with an afro...that's singing. Everyone of the crew watches as the galleon passes, disappearing into the fog again. "Was that...?"

"It was a skeleton!" Luffy cries, eyes sparkling. "A skeleton was singing! It was a living skeleton!"

"Binks Sake," Run calls, staring in the direction it sailed. "I like that song."

"Run! Let's go! Let's go right now! It really was a living skeleton!" Luffy is raring to go, and so is almost the whole crew. The only one's who don't want to go are Nami, Chopper and Usopp. When they see that they're going to be left alone, Zoro decides that they'll draw straws to see who goes with him...

* * *

"Why," Nami complains. "Why is it me?!" Nami, Sanji and Run had drawn the short straws, so they were to accompany their Captain onto the ghost ship to meet the skeleton. Although, Run had every intention of going along with him regardless.

"Haaah...you wanted to draw straws," Run retorts, climbing just a bit under here.

"Nami! Never fear!" Sanji screams. "I'll protect you no matter what!" They continue their climbing up the rotted rope ladder...stopping only briefly when they spy the same skeleton from earlier peering over the railing of the galleon down at them. Nami screams in response, and tries to climb down but the red head forces her up regardless. They climb over the railing onto the deck of the ship were the afro'd skeleton is waiting for them, a cup of tea in hand.

"Good day to you!" the skeleton says. "Yohoho! Sorry about earlier! Our eyes locked, but I wasn't able to give a proper greeting!" Nami stays hidden behind Sanji while they all stare at the talking skeleton. "It was quite the start! I haven't seen people of flesh for decades now! Every ship I happen across seems to be a ghost ship! Come with me! Feel free to come right on in! Let's enjoy a nice leisurely conversation!"

"Look! He's talking!" Luffy accuses, pointing at him. "It's a talking skeleton with an afro!"

"Hm? Oh, my!" He approaches a bit closer, looking towards Nami. "What a truely elegant lady! My eyes have scarcely beheld such a beautiful lady...that is if skeleton's HAD eyes! Yohoho!" Run actually chuckles a bit as his tasteless jokes. "Ahem...may I see your panties?" Nami responds by kicking him in the head, throwing him straight down to the deck while Luffy and Run laugh. "That made my bones rattle...especially because I'm a skeleton! Yohoho!" Luffy and Run laugh again, and watch as he stands.

"Say, do you poop?"

"There are a boat-load of questions we should ask before that!" Sanji screams.

"Yes, I poop," the skeleton tells them.

"Who cares?! More importantly, why are you alive and talking when you're just bones?!" Sanji fires off question after question at the skeleton, all of which seem to be fairly good. However, Luffy calls for him to be quiet and approaches closer.

"You...join my crew," Luffy demands.

"Sure," the skeleton replies...

* * *

"Hello, everyone! I shall be imposing upon you for a bit! I'm the dead and skeletonized Brook!" Brook announces, tipping his top hat to the crew gathered in front of them. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!" Naturally, the rest of the crew is less than thrilled to have the undead wandering around on their ship. "My, my, they're rather harsh!" Luffy and Run laugh in response and watch as the skeleton approaches Robin. "Goodness, aren't you a lovely lady? May I see your panties?"

"My, he's certainly forward," Robin giggles, watching as Nami bounces a shoe off his head. "But I'm afraid I'll have to decline." Usopp suddenly begins inching forward, a large cross held in his hand. Brook takes a single step back in confusion.

"It's working, Usopp!" Chopper cheers.

"Begone, evil spirit!" screams Usopp. "This has to be a dream! There's no way a skeleton could walk, talk and sing!"

"Wait, evil spirit?!" shrieks Brook. "W-Where?! Is in my hair?! Don't let it in my hair!"

"Oi, Luffy!" Zoro demands. "What the hell is with this guy?!"

"Isn't he funny? I had him join the crew!" Luffy tells him matter-of-factly.

"No! I won't allow it! Didn't you guys go with him to prevent this very thing?!" Brook walks towards the door to the kitchen calmly, and then turns to face them.

"There's no need to get so worked up!" Brook laughs. "Come on! Let's go inside and have dinner!"

"That's no for you to decide!" Regardless, they all head inside and Sanji begins cooking dinner for them all immediately. Brook seems to be on cloud nine, enjoying the conversation and taking in the decor of the kitchen. Run sits close to Robin on a small bench away from the dining table.

"I'll assume he asked to see Nami's as well," Robin whispers into Run's ear, earning a chuckle and a nod.

"I'm curious as to whether or not that actually works," Run whispers back. "I'll have to try it some time."

"Mm, if it was you I might have done it..." She leans a bit closer, lips brushing against his ear. "...if I were wearing any." A single crimson brow arches, and a smirk slowly appears on his face.

"Well, I've got a secret of my own...I'm not wearing panties, either." Robin laughs, her head falling against his shoulder. Normally, he'd take it as an invitation but...excusing themselves like this might raise a few eyebrows. Besides that, it would be best to remain close by, and clothed just in case something happens. Sanji finishes cooking dinner several minutes later, placing a huge number of dishes onto the table. Dinner goes by smoothly, or as smooth as it can with Brook attempting to swap plates with Robin on several occasions.

When they've finished eating, they decide it's time to ask Brook some questions. Naturally, they're curious as to HOW he's still walking and talking as nothing more than a skeleton. Brook explains to them that it's the result of eating the Revive-Revive Fruit. He and his crew were killed here in the Florian Triangle, and although he was spared death by the Devil Fruit, it took his soul so long to return to his body that when he'd finally found it, it was little more than a skeleton.

"So, why do you still have an afro?" Zoro questions him.

"I have very strong roots," Brook says matter-of-factly.

"So, you're not a ghost then?" Usopp asks, still holding a cross in front of him.

"N-No! Of course not! If I saw a ghost, I would definitely scream!"

"Not a ghost? Have you seen yourself?!" Nami demands, thrusting out a small mirror in his direction. Brook panics as a result while Usopp and Chopper peer into the mirror...and their eyes slowly begin to widen. "What is it?"

"He...He doesn't have a reflection!" accuses Usopp. "It's a Vampire! A-Actually! Now that I look...he doesn't have a shadow either!" The crew tenses, ready for a fight any moment while Brook simply takes a seat. "Oi! Don't act all calm!"

"Allow me to explain," begins Brook. "A certain man stole my shadow some years ago. After having it taken from me, I'm no longer able to exist in the world of light. I'm only alive now because we're drifting in these foggy waters. But...if I were to be exposed to sunlight, then for sure my body was be completely destroyed. Your shadow stands on the ground when you stand in the light. Since I've no shadow, my body cannot reflect light and so I cannot cast a reflection, either. Put simply...the light itself rejects my very existence."

"Haaah...your life...really sucks," Run retorts.

"Aah, but I've scraped by! Scraped down to the bone, actually! I am the dead and skeletonized Brook! Yohoho!" When he finally calms himself down he faces them all again. "I'm glad that I've lived long enough to meet such wonderful people! If only I could shed tears of joy! Asking me to join your crew made me so happy...but I'm afraid I must decline!"

"Huh? Why?!" whines Luffy.

"As I said, my shadow was stolen. I cannot live under the sunlight, and am currently protected by the fog of this sea. If I accompanied you, it would only be a matter of time before my body was destroyed. So, I will wait here until the day I've reclaimed my shadow!"

"Don't be like that! If you need your shadow back, then we'll get it back for you! So, who was the guy who stole it?"

"Truly, you are a generous man...but I cannot tell you. I could not ask someone I've only just met to die for me!"

"So, this guy is strong, then," Run asserts. "Just give us his name."

"I'm afraid my lips are sealed, so to speak. Honestly, I've no idea where he's even at. I'm not even sure if I'll see him again before my second life ends. But if our paths cross again, I've decided that I'll fight him no matter what and reclaim my shadow. Putting such things aside...allow me to repay you all with a song! I was a musician on my old crew!"

"Aaah! You're a musician! A skeleton musician!" Luffy laughs. "C'mon! Join my crew already!" Before he can even begin, the man suddenly starts trembling. "What's wrong?"

"G...G...Ghost! It's a ghost!" The ship begins to shake violently, and they all go running out onto the deck to see what's going on. "Look! They've blocked the path in front! It's...the back of the gate! Follow me!" Brook runs to the back of the Sunny, and they all stare out across the open sea in confusion. "By any chance...did you pick up a floating barrel?" Luffy nods in the affirmative. "I knew it! It was a trap. They've been after your ship ever since then!"

"Why is there an island there?!"

"It's the ghost island that wanders the seas...Thriller Bark...!"


	39. Thriller Bark! Shadow Thief, Gekko Moria

Hello~! I'm finally back! Sorry about taking so long to update! I've been busy with this, that and the other and before I knew it quite a bit of time had passed! So, without further ado, here it is! I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing!

* * *

They all stare at the fog covered island stretching out before them. Dead trees, grave stones and crumbling ruins abound in this place. "This island isn't showing up on the Log Pose," Nami announces, looking at the pose on her wrist.

"It's no surprise," Brook tells them. "This island has come all the way from the West Blue." Brook walks past them back into the ship. "This truely is my lucky day! Not only have I found people to talk to but my must heart-felt dream is coming true!" He exits through the opposite door, and they run around the outside of the ship just in time to see him leap from the upper deck to the figure-head in a single bound.

"He's pretty light on his feet," Sanji observes.

"Indeed! I became rather light after I died and become nothing but bones! Yohoho! Please break through the gate towering over you and escape with all haste! No matter what do not drop anchor by the shore! Truly, it made me very happy to meet you all here! I will never forget your kindness or that delicious meal! Farewell! May be have the fortune to meet again in other waters!" With that, he turns and leaps down towards the waters below.

"Haaah...you kidding me?" Run grunts, walking to the railing to see where he's slashed down. He's never had to fish a skeleton out of the drink before but there's always a first time for everything, right? Rather than seeing him sinking, however, they're all surprised to see him running across the surface of the sea. "Wow." Brook must really be light to be able to do that.

"A-At any rate," Nami begins. "Let's take his advice, Luffy. I don't know what's going on but it seems like this island is real trouble." Luffy turns to face them with a huge grin on his face.

"Aah! He's dying to go!"

"Hey, about that tremor we felt before," Robin says, pointing towards the large gate. "If that mouth like gate caused it when it closed, I believe that means we've been eaten."

"It ate us?" Luffy echos, staring at the gate.

"Yes. It's hard to see through the fog but the fence extending from the gate more than likely encircles the island entirely. In other words, we're trapped hear by the fence and the mouth." Usopp nods firmly in understanding turning towards them.

"I get it!" Usopp calls. "That's why the skeleton told us to escape immediately."

"So that means someone is making the island wander these waters," Nami concludes. "But what's the point?"

"If the island is moving that means we're still in open waters," Frank tells them. "Dropping anchor here is impossible."

"Huh?!" Usopp grunts quickly. "Why do I get the feeling that you want to stay here?! We gotta leave now or we're gonna get cursed!" Nami and Chopper immediately come down with 'fear-of-an-unknown-island' sickness and refused to leave the ship. Luffy, on the other hand, makes an appearance with a butterfly net and orders them to bring the Sunny up to the shore. Naturally, Usopp is against this, telling him to open his eyes and see the island for the haunted trap that it is.

"Aah, I can see it," Luffy laughs. "I'm just planning to catch that ghost and keep it as a pet! Besides that, we have to go get our crew mate back! Sanji! A pirate lunch, please!"

"Oi, I'm against that! I'd be too scared to have a skeleton on the ship! I wouldn't be able to sleep at night!"

"It'll be fine," Run assures him. "You'll get over it sooner or later."

"I've got the lunch," Robin announces, holding a lunch box.

"Luffy! Franky! Run! You three had better protect Robin with your lives!" Sanji orders them calmly.

"There's nothing like exploring an uncharted island!" Franky adds, raring to go.

"You've gotta be kidding!" Nami whines. "Robin, you're going with them?!"

"Of course! I simply love thrills," retorts Robin, smiling. Franky explained then that they're going to be taking a smaller, special ship to the shore. Apparently, it's something he's been working on in secret. He explains that there are five channels to the Soldier Dock system with '0' coming up twice. There is '0', '1', '2', '3' and '4' with each having it's own special function. They know what is contained in '0', '1' and '3' but so far '2' and '4' are empty. Franky laughs and leads, Nami, Usopp and Chopper to the lower deck of the ship.

Seconds later, the pannels on the side of the Sunny lift and a paddle driving ship comes sailing out quickly with Nami, Chopper and Usopp riding her. "Aah! It's the Merry!" Luffy cries, leaning dangerously over the railing of the Sunny.

"With it's steam engine, this paddle steamer sits four people!" Franky announces, coming back up from the lower deck. "The Mini-Merry!"

"Oi, oi, I want a turn!" Luffy chirps, bouncing up and down.

"Just hold your horses, Straw Hat. You'll get a turn soon enough."

"Is that everything?"

"So far. Including the other docks, that's everything I've got to show you."

"Franky, you really rock! You rock!"

"Naturally! I'm the ultimate man again this week! Super~!" A loud, familiar scream from the island draws their attention to the island behind them. Sanji goes sprinting to the railing, leaning over it to try and get a good look and see what's happening. Rather than being concerned with the others, Luffy wants them to come back and let him drive the Mini-Merry.

"I wonder if that scream means she was killed by a ghosts curse," Robin mutters.

"Don't jinx 'em," Zoro grunts back. The next second, the anchor drops by itself, drawing their attention. "Who dropped the anchor? No one was near it."

"It's too early for the gears to start coming loose," Franky tells them. "Let's pull it up before it unbalances us." The hatch to the lower deck suddenly pops open behind them, and all heads turn to it. "Who touched that?" Not a single person was near it, so it can't have been one of them. Luffy's cheeks stretch, pulled as if he's doing it on purpose.

"Haaah...is now really the time for that, Luffy?" Run asks.

"N-No, it's not me!" Luffy assures them...although, it sounds far less coherent than what he's intended. They snap back and he falls to the ground as if thrown. One of Zoro's swords, Nidai Kitetsu, flies from it's saya and then goes racing towards the downed Luffy. Run snags him up by the back of his vest and sends him sliding across the grass as it buries itself into the ground several inches.

"Oi, punk, what's the big idea?!" Franky growls.

"S-Sorry, I didn't do it," Zoro retorts. "The katana just..." Run pulls it free from the ground with ease and tosses it back to Zoro. The swordsman snatches it out of the air with ease and stares at the blade in silence for several moments before shoving it roughly back into it's saya. "...damn cursed thing."

"Everyone stay focused," Run tells them. "We might have some company."

"Is it a ghost?" Franky wonders. "Or some kinda psychic."

"I felt someone grabbing my face," Luffy says.

"I was sure I heard the sound of a beasts growling," Robin adds. Sanji suddenly jumps up onto the railing of the Sunny, announcing that he's going to help the others while everyone else deals with the ship. He leaps forward the sea...but very quickly face plants into the side of the Sunny. Before they can even start laughing at him, he floats up and is spun in circles before being thrown back onto the deck.

"Looks like it doesn't want us to leave," Franky observes.

"What's it after, exactly?" Zoro growls, scanning the empty deck. "If it wants us dead we're just sitting ducks here."

"R-Run," Robin cries, attracting the red head's attention. A number of arms sprout from her body, pushing against some invisible force. "Something has me!" There's a loud slurping sound and she turns her face away with a grimace. It licked her! It actually licked her!

"You piece of shit!" Run snarls. "Shave!" He appears in front of her in an instant, and throws a punch. Unfortunately, it passes through the air harmlessly and Robin drops to the ground. The red head scans the deck slowly before reaching down and picking Robin up. He pulls her close, keeping one arm wrapped around her while the other immediately hardens as a result of Haki. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It seems like it's gone now...whatever it was." The ship suddenly begins to pitch and roll over some rather unnatural waves that seem intent on pushing them to the shore...

* * *

Try as they might, they couldn't fight the way the waves were pushing them...and so ended up crashing head first into an absolutely gigantic spider-web. Thankfully, it didn't end up causing the Sunny any harm in the process but for the time being they were stuck fast. With that thought in mind, everyone but Zoro disembarks the ship on a 'convenient' dock. They need to find their missing crewmates before trying to escape, anyway. "Oi, Zoro!" Luffy shouts. "Come on, already!" It takes a little persuading but eventually their swordsman leaps over the railing and lands on the dock beside them. "Alright! Let's go!"

"What, did you get cold feet, Zoro?" Run taunts him.

"Shut-it, Red!" Zoro growls back. "I just thought it might be best if one of us stays behind in case they come back!"

"Uh-huh." From the dock, the only where they can go is down a long set of stairs into a trench, the floor of which is covered with numerous bones that look decidedly Human. They've barely made any progress at all through the trench when a three headed dog comes stalking out of the shadows, barring their path. "Cerberus?"

"My, how cute," Robin adds, staring at the animal.

"Think it's yummy?" Luffy asks them, earning a chuckle from Zoro and Run. "Oooh! Run! Run, can you tame it?! Tame it, Run! Let's keep it as a pet!" The red head scratches the stubble on his jaw and then shrugs his shoulders in response.

"Haaah...I'll give it a shot," Run tells him, walking forward towards the animal. "But if it's the real Cerberus then I don't know if I can. Hell's watchdog should be rather strong-willed, after all."

"You can do it! A dog is a dog, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," drawls Run. "Now...c'mere, pup..."

* * *

It was surprisingly easy, actually. A few light bursts of Haoshoku was all it took to turn the animal subservient to the red head. After that, Luffy immediately lept on it's back, laughing like a fool and riding it all the way out of the trench and into a thick forest. "I can't believe we found such a cool animal right away!" Luffy laughs. "I can't wait to see what else this island has in store!"

"Don't it wounds look rather horrible, though," Robin observes, staring at it's large body. "It's amazing he's even alive."

"Before that, doesn't the fox thrown in the mix make it messed up?" Sanji asks. All three heads droop in response to the cooks words, and Run reaches out to pat it on the closest head. Sanji begins calling out for their lost crewmates, or more specifically, Nami in particular.

"Aah, this fog is messing with me sense of distance and direction," Franky complains.

"We could just be walking in circles," Robin tells him. Luffy suddenly freezes, and calls Cerberus to a halt. He's staring off the beaten path, and when they follow his line of sight they find a...unicorn and a tree sharing a drink? Everyone stares at them while they stare back. Luffy and Franky suddenly break off in a run after the two. It's a short chase before both of them capture the two.

"Oi, oi," Run begins. "Don't tell me-"

"You two, I want you to join my-"

"Knock if off!"

It takes a bit of convincing to get him to release the two of them but when they do they go running off into the forest. Afterwards, they continue on their way, as if they'd never seen the two of them to begin with. Luffy goes right back to riding on the back of Cerberus. "You need to knock it off!" Sanji growls. "We've already got a raccoon dog and a robot on the crew."

"I'm a cyborg, idiot," Franky fires back.

"It's pretty obvious you're not Human anymore."

"I'm Human at the core!"

"You're a pervert at the core!"

"I've been thinking about this for a while now," Robin says, stopping their argument. "But all of the strange animals on this island, the unicorn and tree man included, seem to share the same traits. Each of them has stitches, bandages and a number tattooed on their bodies."

"Do you think that someone is over-seeing them, then?" Zoro questions.

"I believe so, yes." Over the chirping of the crickets, a voice rings out through the forest. It sounds to them like someone singing 'Negative' over and over again. From out of the tree cover above their heads, a small ghost comes floating out.

"It's a ghost!" screams Luffy. The ghost floats several meters in front of them, and multiplies twice before their eyes as it dances. "I'm gonna catch it! Let's keep it as a pet!" Luffy swings his net wildly, watching as it passes through them harmlessly.

"Alright, let's try this then!" Franky shouts. "Fresh Fire!" He spouts a huge gout of flames past his lips, completely engulfing the ghosts. However, they float right out of the flames. "Aah! They really are spirits!" It passes through him calmly. "Aah...nothing I do works out. I'm such a loser...how can I live like this?" Seeing the ghost still dancing around, Luffy drops the net and makes a grab for it...but only ends up passing through it.

"Aah...if I could be reborn, I should be a clam. I should just crawl into a hole somewhere."

"What in the _hell_ has gotten into you two?" Run asks, staring at the two of them.

"Perhaps touching the ghosts weakened their will?" Robin offers.

"Pathetic," Zoro grunts. "Those two are at the mercy of those ghosts because they're not calm and collected." One of the ghosts passes through him, and he drops to his knees. "I'm sorry I was ever born." Run pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration while Sanji yells at them.

"They lack physical presence, and break your will just by touching them. They could be a formidable foe." The ghosts disappear just as suddenly as they'd appeared, leaving them to console the defeated Luffy, Franky and Zoro. When they were finally back on their feet, they pushed on through the forest. Zoro, Luffy and Franky stomp ahead of Sanji, Robin and Run while they ride on the back of Cerberus. They complain the whole time much to Sanji and Run's amusement.

"Oi, it's alright, Zoro," Run calls. "Everyone has regrets."

"'I'm sorry I was born'," Sanji adds, while the two nearly fall of Cerberus laughing. They eventually leave the forest behind for a gigantic graveyard.

"Ooh! It's huge!" Luffy laughs. "It's really got character! Let's eat here!"

"It'll ruin the experience if we eat here!" Several feet away from them, a hand suddenly breaks the surface of the ground. Following it, someone pulls themselves out all the way to the waist. Luffy cocks his head for a moment before approaching, and shoving him back down into the ground. It breaks back up through the ground almost immediately.

"I'm not goin' back down there!" screams the zombie. "Are you stupid?!"

"This old guy is really hurt."

"It's obviously a Zombie!" Countless more suddenly spring out of their graves. Run pushes one of Cerberus' heads back in the direction they've come, and the animal takes the hint, running off back into the forest that they've just come from.

"We'll show you just how dangerous we Zombies are!"

"Then we'll show you just how dangerous we are," Luffy retorts. They're all a flurry of motion, scattering the newly gathered zombies to the wind like they aren't even there. "Eight-hundred Million Beli Jackpot!" After dealing with the zombies...it seems like they're willing to talk to them. Strange as it seems, they have a sit down with them. Under Luffy's questioning, they reveal that Nami, Usopp and Chopper passed through the graveyard on their way to the mansion in the distance. After they'd spilled everything they know, they beat the zombies into unconsciousness and head off for the mansion.

They've barely left the graveyard behind when the sound of running foot-steps and someone shouting from behind gives them pause. From out of the gloom, a man appears holding a lantern in front of his face.

"Oi! It's another hurt old man!"

"We told you before it's a zombie!"

"A-Actually, I am an injured old man," he replies.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"T...There's a man I want you to defeat! I saw you scatter those zombies, so I'm sure you could do it! The man has created countless victims! I won't ask you to do it for nothing! If I can get my shadow back, I'll do anything I can to help you!"

"So, he's like Brook then," Franky asserts. "He's lost his shadow, too."

"So, who stole it?" Zoro questions him. "Who is on this island?"

"M-Moria! The man's name is Moria!"

"Moria?" echos Robin. "By any chance, do you mean Gecko Moria?"

"You know this guy?" Run asks.

"I've never met him, no. But I know the name well. The man's bounty used to surpass your and and Luffy's."

"Used to? So that means..."

"Yes. He's one of the Shichibukai." The old man goes on to explain that Moria steals the shadows of everyone he's 'invited' to his island. Those who have their shadows stolen are doomed to wander the island, looking over both shoulders for fear of encountering his zombies. Naturally, Luffy agrees to help him get his shadow back since doing that would mean getting Brook's shadow back as well. With things decided they make for the mansion again. They've just reached the front gate when the fog finally begins to lift enough for Luffy to notice something over head.

"Oi, oi, what is that?" Luffy asks.

"Looks like...a flag," Zoro says.

"No, it's a sail," Franky tells them.

"It sure is," replies a voice from behind. It's the same old man from before...is he still following them? "Thriller Bark is carrying an entire village...it's the worlds largest pirate ship...!"

* * *

With no more interruptions they made they way to the mansion. The main gate was open, and finding the front door was fairly easy considering the entire island seemed to be built like a maze. Unfortunately, it seems that that is where their good fortune ends. "Excuse us! We're coming in~!" Luffy cries, jiggling the door-knob. "Huh? It's locked?"

"Haaah...lemme try," Run tells him, brushing Luffy aside. There's a sharp 'crack!' and a resulting jingle of metal skittering across the ground as the door swings open. "See? It's open." As they walk inside, Run tosses aside the now broken door knob.

"Open, huh?" Zoro grunts.

"It is now." Robin giggles a bit, walking close to the red head. Luffy calls for Moria at the top of his lungs as they walk into a large room. It looks like a tornado as swept through the place, honestly. Furniture is turned upside down and eating untensiles lie strewn across the floor.

"Shouldn't there be at least one servant for a mansion this large?" Hearing laughter, they all turn their heads up towards the sound. "What is that?" A pig's head is hanging from the wall and actually laughing at them as it stares down.

"You've sure got guts walking in here," the pig says. "Especially knowing our master's name."

"A piggy is growing out of the wall?" Luffy questions.

"Let's show our guests a warm welcome!" From the numerous paintings hanging on the wall, zombies come lunging out at them. At any other time or place they might have been surprised, but it seems to be common place here on Thriller Bark. It's childs-play to defeat them all, and when the dust settles they turn their attention back to the pig on the wall.

"Looks like there's only one left." Luffy stretches an arm up and snatches him off the wall.

"U-Umm, th-those three are sound asleep. In their bedrooms, actually."

"Bullshit," Franky retorts.

"They are! I swear! All you have to do is check and see! Just go up the stairs and down the hall!" Franky glares at the pig past his sunglasses for a moment before looking up, and scanning the room.

"Oi. The eyebrow cook is gone." They all look around quickly, and sure enough they find Sanji to be missing.

"Wasn't he here a moment ago?" Luffy asks. "Where'd he wander off to?" The defeated painting zombies, and even the pig all begin laughing.

"Looks like we lost a good man," Zoro concludes calmly.

"Aah, it's Sanji. He'll be alright."

"Be that as it may, time might be off the essence for the other three," Robin tells them. The pig begins gloating but his words fall on deaf ears. "We'll just have to follow our intuition from here on out. I have my doubts as to whether the zombies will tell us the truth, even if we threaten them."

"Let's take the pig then," Run asserts. "He'll serve as a good guide..." The red head cracks his kunckles loudly as he looks down at the creature. "...with a little pursuading, anyway." The painting zombies begin laughing louder now, and start going on and on about just how terrifying Moria is.

"Well, let me tell you what you can tell your 'Master'," begins Luffy. "If even a single hair is out of place on any of my crew-members heads...I'm going to send him and everyone else to the grave..."

* * *

They push up the stairs and through the long hall of the mansion. Sanji's disappearance might be cause for concern of they weren't so sure that he could take care of himself no matter what situation he finds himself in. "That damn curly cook," Zoro mutters. "He had it coming."

"Haaah...ya know, we run into members of the Shichibuki a lot," Run complains. "Tell me, piggy, why would a pirate want to seal someone's shadow?"

"I would love to know as well," Robin adds, looking at the pig.

"I-I don't know a thing," the pig responds.

"I know I promised that old guy I'd kick Moria's butt," Luffy begins. "But that'll have to go on hold for a bit. At least until we find the others." The pig begins laughing in response, telling them that their friends are screwed no matter what they do. Luffy punches it in the head almost immediately. "Quit your oinking and just lead the way, piggy." They walked for a bit more before finally noticing that Zoro wasn't with them anymore.

"I didn't hear him scream," Robin says, looking back in the direction they've come from. "Maybe he was strangled?"

"Could you not be so ominous?!" Franky screams. Regardless, they forge on down the hall, sure that Zoro is going to be alright by himself. They try to keep an eye on each other while they move forward, to make sure that no one else disappears...but unfortunately, the next one to go is Luffy. "Where the heck did those two wander off to?"

"With those two there's no telling," Run retorts. Hearing loud clinking behind them, they all turn to find a golden knight approaching. It gets within a few feet of them before tripping over it's own two feet and falling face first to the ground in front of them. "Seriously?"

"Aww, where did those two go?" complains a muffled voice. The knight sits up, and sweeps the visor up out of it's face to reveal Luffy. "I can't believe those two!" Franky immediately swats him in the back of his head, and yells at him for goofing off. Luffy replies that it's every man's dream to wear a suit of armor. While the two go back and forth, Robin and Run turn and continue walking forward. Ahead of them the hall opens up into a large hall, adorned with multiple flags complete with a large arena. "Oi, what's wrong?" Franky and Luffy come running up behind them, and stare at the large room.

"You better say your prayers," says the pig. "Because you're never leaving this place alive!" Run suddenly shoves Franky hard enough that he nearly falls onto his ass before leaping in the opposite direction. A knight clad in armor and complete with a large sword and shield drops from the sky, piercing the ground they'd occupied moments ago.

"Franky! Run!" The knight stands slowly, and turns to face the two of them. "Ohhh! Moving armor! So cool!"

"It's a zombie," Robin asserts. "Look at the spears piercing it." It readies it's large sword, and then charges the two of them. For being nothing more than a corpse, and one covered in armor at that, it's surprisingly light on it's feet. Run's hardens his arms and hands immediately while Franky produces a shield from his arm. Franky blocks the first slash of the sword with a resounding 'crash!' before pushing the knight back. Rather than being off balance, the knight instead lowers it's posture and rushes back faster than ever, this time targeting the red head. It's blade thrusts forward, leading the attack to pierce Run's chest.

"Shave," Run mutters, disappearing from sight. He appears behind the confused knight. "Sea King's Roar!" There's another loud 'crash!' and the groan of metal as the armor dents in three places, and sends the knight crashing across the ground into the large stage several meters away. A silver glint sails out of the resulting dust, and Run turns his shoulder quickly.

'Clang!'

The knight's sword embeds itself into the ground inches in front of the red head. "Haaah...not much of a Knight...throwing your sword away like that." He reaches out and grasps the large hilt with his left hand as the dust begins to clear. The large knight is kneeling in place, another sword clutched in it's hands, and shield discarded.

"My, looks as if it's made you out for a swordsman," Robin chuckles. "Will it be a duel to the death? Or...undeath as it were?" Before Run can retort to her words the knight has charged, showing itself to be far faster than ever with it's heavy shield cast away. Run back-pedals, weapon breaking free of the stone floor with a flick of his wrist. A shower of stone pings softly off the armored knight as it closes the gap in an instant, not the slightest bit daunted or fazed by the projectiles.

A shower of sparks follows as steel rakes against steel. Where as the knight had thrust again, the flat of Run's weapon rakes up the blade, cutting an upward arc intent on cleaving the knight from hip to shoulder. It's an awkward angle, one that wouldn't lend any power against a steel plated knight and leave him completely exposed in the process...if the weapon weren't infused with his Haki. Again, for a corpse, the Knight has surprisingly good instincts, and raises it's free arm and twists it's body quickly before leaping backwards...now missing it's left arm at the shoulder. There's no spray of blood, no cry of pain, as the arm strikes the floor between them.

"Even losing an arm doesn't seem to phase it."

"Red! Don't keep fighting it!" Franky calls. "It's just gonna get us nowhere fast!" His words fall on deaf ears, as instead Run sends the Knight's arm sailing back to it with a flick of his sword.

"You dropped that," Run tells it. The knight glances down at it's own arm and then back at the red head. "I'd reattach it...you'll need two hands, Knight. I have no desire to hold back against the undead like I do the living." It relaxes it's stance, and jams it's blade deep into the stone floor before bending to retrieve it's arm. A 'crunch!' follows it's shoving it's arm back it's shoulder, trailed by several more as it flexes it's arm left and right before finally clenching it's hand into a fist. When it's finished, it retrieves the blade, and squares up to him again. "Alright...let's go, again!"

"It doesn't matter how many times your friend cuts down the knight!" calls the pig, earning the attention of everyone but Run. "Even if we take some damage it doesn't hurt! That's what makes Zombies so terrifying! We're as good as immortal! All of the General Zombies are robust warriors who made names for themselves while they were still among the living! None of your friends are gonna be ok!"

"You bastard!" Luffy attempts to pursue the now fleeing pig but a zombie wall drops down, barring his path. "Crap! He blocked the path!"

"That's not the only path that's been blocked," Robin tells him. Luffy spins quickly to find the path in front of them blocked by numerous zombies of all shapes and sizes, and wielding weapons nearly as diverse. Run stands across from the knight and the large group of zombies, sword raised to rest on his shoulder. The knight is missing both arms, and it's armor is rent in a large slash across it's chest...it's amazing it's still relatively whole after such a deep cut. The red head slowly paces backwards towards them.

"Haaah...this might be a bit troublesome," Run mutters, watching the knight slowly lean up. "I didn't take it easy in the slightest and that one is still getting up."

"We'll burn through energy taking all these guys on," Franky tells them.

"Escape?"

"If we make it out of this hall we should be at the inner courtyard," Robin asserts.

"Alright!" Luffy chirps. "We'll meet up there, then! But be careful! I don't want anyone else to end up missing!" The next moment they go charging into the zombies, fists and blades flying.

"Robin, stay close!" Run shouts, cutting one zombie down after another. Mixed up in the middle of them, the red head spins, cutting a wide arc with the blade and scattering those within reach of the weapon. Several more rush in without pause.

"Treinta Fleurs!" calls Robin, arms sprouting from the zombies. "Clutch!" The sounds of spines and necks snapping crackles loudly around. As they begin to drop, Run spies one of the weapons clutched by one of the zombies and smirks.

"I'll take that!" With a single stroke he's cleaved the zombie's hand off at the wrist, and snatches the fine looking straight bladed saber from the air. He follows the slash, and in the same motion throws the heavy sword like a spear, skewering two approaching zombies and pinning them to the far wall of their feet. He snatches the sheath from the zombie before it finally crashes to the ground. Run roughly shoves the saber into it's sheath before grasping Robin around the waist with his free arm. "Hold tight! Shave!"

It's not his fastest movement considering he's carrying Robin but it's enough to by-pass the zombies with ease and appear outside of the large hall. "Where's Franky? And Luffy?" Both stare at the group of zombies crowding in the hall, looking for any sign of either one of them.

"I-"

"Strong Right!" exclaims Franky, bowling through the zombies and spilling out of the hall. He strikes the ground, and bounds to his feet before running in their direction. "Persistant bunch!" They take off running with their resident cyborg with the zombies hot on their heels.

"Did you see Luffy in there?"

"I couldn't tell! That idiot is wearing armor so I couldn't tell them apart!" Hearing shouting from above, they come to an abrupt halt and look up just in time to see a coffin being carried off by a large chain. It's rattling fiercely, and Luffy's muffled complaints are echoing from it. "A coffin?"

"Damn it, Luffy! Let's go!" They chase after the coffin down the long bridge. Their path is very abruptly blocked, however, by the arrival of an absolutely huge spider-monkey amalgamation. "What in the hell...?"

"I'm not gonna let you go past!" laughs the spider-monkey. They watch as the coffin disappears through a hole in the wall, and then glare at the large spider-monkey.

"What are you gonna do to him?!" Franky demands.

"Don't you worry! You'll get to personally experience what's about to happen to him! I'd be more worried about myself, if I were you!" Hearing the sound of the zombies approaching behind them they glance back briefly before looking back at the spider-monkey. "You're sandwiched between me and the warriors behind you! With this...your crew is finished!"

"So...I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that is what happened to Zoro and Sanji, as well."

"That's right! You'll share that fate in a moment, as well!"

"You're responsible for that web that caught the Sunny, too, I assume. You were keeping tabs on us from the start." The spider-monkey actually laughs in response.

"That's right! Don't underestimate my information network! We knew exactly what you were up to thanks to Miss Perona's Ghost Network!" Run glances back again at the approaching Zombies and growls a bit in response.

"Haaah...anyone got an ideas?" Run asks aloud. "I'm open to suggestions."

"Heh, let me handle it, Red," Franky retorts, raising his arms and then pointing them straight down at the bridge. "Coup de...Vent!" The shot pulverizes the stone, and the bridge rapidly begins to crumble. "And there you have it." They hold their group, falling with a large chunk of stone. Robin crosses her arms quickly.

"Cien Fleurs!" Both Franky and Run watch as countless arms sprout from her back, forming into a huge pair of wings. "Wings!" She catches the red head by his wrist, and flexes her 'wings' powerfully.

"Oi! What about me?!" Franky grasps the red head by his ankles as sail skyward. "I can't believe you can fly!"

"It's...only for about five seconds...!"

"That short?! Whatever, it'll work!" Franky releases one of the red head's ankles. "Strong Right!" He fires his fist off towards the remaining part of the bridge, and grasps the ledge tight. It's none too soon, as Robin's wings disappear quickly. "Alright! Let's reel in! I hope we make it in time!" As they near the ledge, Robin and Run jump from the cyborgs back onto the ledge, leaving him to smash into the wall before reeling himself up.

"Looks like they all dropped into the court-yard. I'd say it worked out nicely."

"Haaah...more or less," Run agrees. "But looks like pushing forward is our only path now." Franky hauls himself up onto the ledge seconds later, complaining the whole time about the two of them using him as a stepping stone. Robin suddenly looks up, and both of them follow her line of sight just in time to watch someone come dropping out of the sky past them and crash hard enough into the ground to create a small crater. "What was that?"

"I've got an idea." Suddenly, countless large spider-webs are spun all around them, and the spider-monkey raises himself up to their level with them. In an instant it's created a spider-silk platform to bridge the gap between the two buildings.

"Despite your little trick, you can't escape me!" the spider-monkey tells them. "I can just keep creating more foot-holds!" Franky unscrews the back of the large object he's been carrying the whole time and produces a set of nunchaku from them.

"Oi, I'm going to whip up a weapon right quick," Franky tells them. "Buy me some time, huh?" The spider-monkey points his palms at them.

"Sticky...!" Robin narrows her eyes, spotting the spinneret on either palm.

"Seis Fleurs!" Robin calls, crossing her arms. A number of arms appear around the spider-monkey's good eye. "Slap!" The hands all strike the spider-monkey in the eye, and it shoves his palms against them by reflex, blinding itself by accident.

"Alright!" Franky announces, approaching with two large stone pillars attatched by a thick chain.

"What is _that_?" Run questions the cyborg.

"I shoved the metal nunchaku into these pillars. If you're fighting a big enemy, you need a big weapon."

"Haaah...well, then, he's all yours." When Run motions towards the spider-monkey, Franky goes sprinting in it's direction.

"Heavy...Nunchaku!" The pillar strikes the spider-monkey in the cheek, tossing it into the silken side of the bridge it's created. Franky's strikes are nothing short of amazing, and more than enough to toss the spider-monkey around his own silk bridge.

"Damn it!" curses the spider-monkey. "Give it a rest already! Spider's Sticky Net!" The spider-monkey fires off a blast of his sticky silk, stripping the stone nunchaku from the cyborg's hands. "There! Now that I've taken care of your weapon you-"

"Weapons..."

"Huh?"

"...Left!" Franky hits the spider-monkey square in the face with his attack. Run crosses his arms and nods his head slowly.

"I guess that's that, then," Run says. Robin's cry reaches the two and both wheel around quickly to find the woman strung up by spider-silk and surrounded by strang spider-mice. "What the hell are those things?"

"I-I let my guard down," Robin mutters. Franky and Run go sprinting back towards her but they're blind-sided by the spider-monkey's web. "Run!"

"I...got you two now." The spider-monkey starts gloating immediately. He goes on and on about how he and his spider-mice have never failed to catch their prey, and how their silk could never be broken by a normal Human. Most of it just goes in one ear and out the other for them. In the middle of his gloating, the sound of someone singing reaches their ears. Everyone looks around, trying to find the person sinking 'Bink's Sake' in the middle of their fight.

"Yohohoho~!" laughs a voice familiar to them. "Goodness, me. I see you really did disembark on the island after all." Brook calmly approaches the bound Robin. "Well, I guess now I'll have to tell you everything that I know about the island!"

"How did you get up here?" Robin demands.

"I jumped! I'm very light!"

"Damn you!" shouts the spider-monkey. "You're not a zombie, are you?! You're with these pirates!" Brook takes several steps in Robin's direction before stopping and raising his sword and sheath. Run's eyes widen slightly as he slowly sheathes his weapon.

"Three Verse Humming...Arrow Notch Slash...!"


	40. Wrest Back the Shadows!

Hello~! I'm so, so sorry that it's taken me so long to update this story! I've been caught up with so many things going on but I'm back now! I hope to pick up again with regular releases barring any unforeseen complications! So, without further ado, here you go~! Let me know what you all think~!

* * *

The spider-monkey squirms and writhes, blood streaming from the large slash stretching from head to tail. "Oi! Don't turn your back, Brook!" Run shouts, twisting in the silk covering him. "Swords don't work, trust me! It's not gonna stop him!"

"It's taken care of," Brook assures him. "Even Zombies have a weakness."

"D-Damn you!" growls the spider-monkey. "Wait...y-you, I've seen you before!" The spider-monkey begins shaking violently, head tilting skyward and mouth opening. From it's gaping maw, a black mass swirls this way and that slowly.

"Take a look. That's a zombie's 'soul', so to speak."

"His soul?" echos Franky. "But I can see it leaving his body!"

"Now, it's high-time you return to your master!" The moment the 'soul' escapes, it goes sailing skyward and the spider-monkey collapses onto the ground in front of them. They stare at the unmoving spider-monkey in a stunned silence. Seeing their 'boss' defeated, the spider-mice cut and run almost immediately.

"What...did you do?" Run asks.

"I purified it." Brook is quiet for a moment before turning to look at Franky and Run. "Aah! That spider-web is strong against physical attacks but weak to fire." Hearing this, Franky immediately breathes out a series of flame puffs to free the two of them. Next to be freed is Robin, and Franky is far more careful with his fire around her than he had been with them. When they're all finally sprung from the web, Brook clears his throat. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news after everything I'm sure you've endured but...if your friends have been caught it's probably too late."

"What do you mean?!" Franky demands.

"There's no need to yell! Loud noises make me jump right out of my skin...if I had any! Yohohoho~!" Franky's arm transforms, and he levels his Weapon's Left on the skeleton. Fortunately enough, Robin stops him before he blasts the man. "Putting the jokes aside, as I told you before my rudder is broken! I spent years wandering the seas alone. Even if I had wanted to escape, I was just drifting at the mercy of the tides. During that time, I was eventually 'invited' to Thriller Bark, and desperate to leave behind this sea, I wandered the island on the look out for parts to fix my ship."

"Haaah...gonna go out on a limb here and say it didn't pan out," Run concludes.

"Exactly. All I found was monsters and zombies! Eventually, I was captured, and in there I found that I was not alone! Another man was ahead of me. I watched as a ghastly giant confronted us! He reached out to the man...and he stretched his shadow out and cut if right off!"

"Cut it off?" Franky echos.

"That's right. I almost couldn't believe my eyes...not that I have eyes! Yohohoho~!" This is the final straw for Franky who punches the skeleton in the head. "A-Anyway, after the man lost his shadow, he collapsed on the spot. I watched as the stolen shadow was stuffed into the body of a zombie, and it came to life!"

"How does that work?"

"Our shadows are like a second 'soul' that is always with us, moving as we dictate. That is true of your shadows, as well. Normally, these 'souls' stay with you from the moment of your birth until the moment of your death. But there is a giant of a man who captures them and makes them do his bidding. This man is one of the Shichibuki, Gekko Moria! He has eaten the Shadow-Shadow Devil Fruit!"

"Is he the one who stole your shadow?" Robin questions him.

"Yes. As long as he has access to a corpse, he can transform it into a loyal zombie. But the real problem is one of the men working for him, Dr. Hogback. He's a genius surgeon who can reconstruct a body, making it stronger than ever before! Sometimes, he uses that medical expertise to revive the corpses of legendary warriors from around the world."

"I never would have guessed that the renowned Dr. Hogback was here assisting a Shichibuki after his disappearance."

"So, we're not really dealing with the undead then," Franky asserts. "Those zombies are just brought back by shadows."

"Correct," Brook confirms. "The shadow provides personality and fighting abilities to the zombie. In other words, if you combine a strong corpse with a strong shadow, you'll get an even stronger zombie! That is why Moria is so eager to get his hands on the shadows of wanted pirates!"

"So that's the deal with Thriller Bark," Robin mutters. "Moria's favorite aspect of the zombies could be their obedience. Typically, powerful warriors are difficult to keep in line."

"True, but our shadows possess our abilities. Once he has a person's shadow, he can toss the troublemaker out to fend for himself. Those that are particularly powerful are generally rushed out to sea before their regain their consciousness."

"So, he's gonna shove the others our to sea then?!" Franky exclaims in question.

"Hold on a moment. There is still time. I'll tell you exactly how to handle this...but you'll have to believe me and do as I say."

"Huh? Why should we?" While Brook first appears to be taken aback, he then bursts out into laughter much to their irritation...particularly Robin's. It seems that she's reached the end of her patience, and demands that he continue immediately. Brook nods quickly under Robin's intense gaze, and tells them that they need to return to the Sunny immediately. He tells them that no matter what happens, their friends won't be killed, just returned to the ship and shoved back out to sea. It seems that they won't kill anyone they steal the shadow of because the death of the body results in the loss of the shadow.

Those who have their shadows stolen pass out immediately after, and won't awaken naturally for a few days after...which means their only chance of saving the others is to get back to the Sunny and wake them up themselves. When he's finished explaining the red head nods in understanding.

"Alright," Run tells him. "Let's head back to the Sunny, then."

"Wait. Take this before you go." He hands each of them a small brown sack. "It's the zombies weakness."

"What is it, exactly?"

"Salt."

"How does sprinkling a little bit of salt on them do anything?" Franky questions Brook.

"It's simple. These zombies are animated as a result of a Devil Fruit. Salt holds the power of the sea. So, just like a power-holder grows weak in the sea, the salt breaks the fusion between a fake 'soul' and the corpse. Now, then, if you'll excuse me."

"Wait. Before you go...I have something to ask you..."

* * *

They take the stairs two and a time, running as fast as they can to get back to the Sunny. Franky hasn't stopped crying the whole time, going on and on about how good of a guy Brook is. "Why did you ask him that if you were just gonna break down in tears?" Robin questions the cyborg.

"S-Shut up!" Franky sobs. "He's just such a g-good guy, I had to know!" A loud roar pauses their ascent up the stairs. Robin and Run immediately crouch low, stopping themselves from loosing balance while Franky goes tumbling back down the stairs. "D-Damn it! That hurt!"

"Haaah...now what?" Run mutters. Another roar pierces the air and all heads turn, looking for the origin of the sound. After several long minutes, when it seems the roaring has stopped, they push forward again. They need to get back to the Sunny and stop them from shoving their crewmates out to sea. They've just finished what seems like their last flight of stairs and the door opens into a large hall. They can hear familiar voices screaming at the end of it and continue on.

It opens up into a wide room, dominated by a huge staircase. In the center, Usopp and Chopper are surrounded by Zombies on all sides...and the three waste no time in quickly salting several of the Zombies.

"Wh-What's going on?!" screams a Zombie.

"You guys better take your hands off my sworn little bros," Franky growls at the zombies holding the two. Rather than argue, they release the two of them immediately, and they crawl back to them. "Hmm? We're missing one...were we too slow?"

"Are you two alright?" Robin questions them. Both of them nod quickly, tears streaming down their faces. They tell the three of them that Nami has been taken by one of Moria's men, Absalom. Not only was she kidnapped but it seems the man plans to force her into marriage with him. "Sounds like she's in a bit of trouble. What do you wanna do?"

"Haaah...damn it," Run complains, scratching the stubble on his chin. "We'll...we'll find the others first. Stopping the others from getting shoved out to sea is our first priority. When we're sure that they're safe, we'll go and get Nami back..."

* * *

They sprint down the stairs back towards the docks as quickly as their feet can carry them. Fortunately, they find some folding stairs that lead them down to the docks instead of having to jump straight down. Usopp goes running on ahead of them, down the dock and onto the ship. "Whoa! We've really been wiped out!" Usopp screams from the deck. "They took just about everything that wasn't nailed down!"

"Those Zombies must have done it," Robin reasons. "Their muddy foot-prints are everywhere."

"So, they could still be here?" Chopper asks. They all finally make it onto the deck and just as Usopp described, they've totally ransacked the place. Not only that, they made one hell of a mess doing it. They quickly search the ship, looking for Zoro, Sanji and Luffy...and find the three of them in the kitchen. The Zombies seem to have had a field-day messing with the three of them while they are unconscious. Run can't help but laugh at their appearance despite the seriousness of the situation.

"They really didn't show any mercy, huh," Run laughs, looking at the three.

"Oi, oi, how can you laugh at them?" Franky questions him. "If that's all you're going to do then step aside. It's time to wake 'em up." The cyborg slaps the three of them around for a bit but when it appears that they aren't going to wake up from the pain Franky becomes a bit irritated. "Alright, then. Everyone, stand back. I'm gonna get serious now."

"Stop. Let me try." Run steps forward and takes a deep breath. "Oi! There's a beautiful master swordswoman with meat!" The three suddenly twitch violently...and begin pushing themselves up.

"Beautiful?"

"Master Swordswoman?"

"Meat?"

The three of them are naturally curious about just how they got back onto the Sunny. The four of them explained exactly what happened to them, not sparing a single detail. They'd been snatched when everyone's backs were turned, their shadows stolen, and finally placed back on the Sunny to be shoved back out to sea to prevent them coming back for them. Naturally, they were put off by the strange feeling of missing their shadows...but Luffy was more concerned about the fact that the zombies had taken everything but their emergency rations.

"Putting that aside," Sanji grunts. "Where's Nami at?" Usopp and Chopper began sweating bullets almost instantly. The two of them sheepishly explained what happened...and obviously, Sanji flies right off the handle. "You two let her get taken away?! Why didn't you go after her?!"

"I-I-It's not like we could just go after her!" Usopp defends. "J-Just hear me out! There are two things we need to get back right away!"

"Our food, Nami, and our shadows, right?" Luffy interjects. "That's three things, isn't it?"

"W-Well, the order is a little off but...it doesn't matter! First off, let me fill you in about Nami and your shadows!" As soon as Usopp begins his explanation with Nami's forced marriage Sanji hit's the roof. Zoro ignores that part for the most part to focus on the fact that they've located Luffy and Sanji's shadows. However, it's Luffy who fills on the blanks on Zoro's missing shadow.

"So, basically, we need to find a zombie in sandals, Luffy's giant and the cooks dogguin," Zoro surmises. "The shadows will return if we toss salt in the zombies' mouths, right?"

"Pretty much," Run tells him. "We're lucky that we ran into Brook. He's the one who told us about it."

"Oh! You guys saw Brook?" Luffy asks, grinning.

"Yeah, we saw that guy," Franky retorts. "And I had the urge to ask him a stupid question. I totally rejected his existance when you first brought him aboard the Sunny. He might be a perverted bag of bones but when I spoke with him I found out he had an iron-like back-bone. He's...a real man..."

\- - Earlier on the Spider Silk Bridge - -

"Just why are you so desperate to leave this place?" Franky questions him. "Even if you could recover your shadow you know how people would react to you. You are, after all, a walking skeleton. Your fate was sealed the moment you passed away."

"Franky," Robin begins. "You shouldn't-"

"He's right," Run tells her, interrupting her. "The abnormal are always ostracized. What promise could you possible have made that would drive you to ignore all of these facts?" Brook laughs lightly in response to their prodding but turns around to face them.

"You're rather nosy," Brook asserts. "But it's simple. Long ago, we left a member of our crew behind. When we set sail we swore that no matter what we would return to him. But then we were all killed, preventing us from keeping our promise. As the sole survivor, it is my duty to return and tell him what happened. It's been...fifty years now, since the day we were all killed."

"Fifty years?" Franky echos. "I wasn't even born, then. I hate to break it to you but what are the odds he's still waiting?"

"What right do I have to decide that?! If he's still waiting, then I have a promise to keep! Can you imagine just how lonely he must be? No...what if he's waiting under the belief that we betrayed our promise? Could you imagine just how miserable he must feel?"

"His name," Run begins. "What is name?"

"His name is..."

\- - The Sunny, Present Time - -

"Laboon," Run finishes. "He's been fighting to keep his promise to Laboon." Luffy, Sanji, Zoro, and Usopp all remember it clearly. Their entrance into the Grand Line, and their meeting with Laboon was something none of them would ever forget as long as they lived. Of course, it was hard to believe that Laboon had grown from such a small whale into what he is today. Franky and Chopper seem confused, staring at the rest of the crew as they're lost in their memories. "Aah...that's right, you two never met Laboon."

Chopper and Franky listen while they explain the whole story of their meeting with Laboon and what they'd learned of his past from Crocus. By the end of the story Franky is bawling like a baby, claiming that he loves Brook and Laboon. "Alright! It's settled!" laughs Luffy. "Brook is gonna be our crewmate even if I have to drag him with us kicking and screaming! Any objections?"

"Even if there were, would you change your mind?" Robin giggles.

"Damn it, you've got my vote!" Franky bawls.

"Let's go and get him!" Usopp cheers.

"I'm not afraid anymore!" Chopper cries. "Let's go!"

"I'm more concerned about stopping that marriage but let's do that, too!" Sanji tells them. Noticing that Zoro and Run are missing, Luffy looks towards the dock quickly, and then dashes to the railing of the Sunny to look down at the two.

"Oi, Zoro, Run!" Luffy calls. "Where are you guys going?"

"We're going to raid the place," Zoro calls back.

"We've got another shadow to recover," Run adds. "We need to get a head-start on it!" The others don't waste any time in jumping the railing of the Sunny and preparing for battle. They decided that they had to split into teams if they were going to accomplish what they had to. Sanji and Usopp were going to stop Nami's forced marriage while Zoro and Franky go to help Brook out. That leaves Luffy, Robin, Chopper and Run go to stop Moria. If they can beat him then everyone's shadows will naturally come back.

Of course, all of this _has_ to be done before sunrise. They aren't sure how long the fog is going to last...if it disperses at dawn then without a doubt their chances of victory are going to be zero. With everything decided, and after Usopp passes each of them a bag of salt, they take off back up the stairs heading for Nami and their shadows. While Zoro and Franky peel off from their group, Luffy and Sanji sprint ahead of everyone else, scattering any zombies that are unlucky enough to block their path. Making it back to the dance hall where they'd found Chopper and Usopp takes only a few minutes.

"These two don't even need salt!" Usopp shouts, dashing up the stairs after them. "Their hearts are completely burning with anger!"

"Aren't they worried about their shadows?" Chopper wonders. They've barely cleared the first flight of stairs when a number of ghosts come flying out of the hall in front of them.

"Oh, no!" Robin gasps. "I forgot about those ghosts!" Sanji and Luffy are immediately struck by them, and instantly drop to their knees. Seeing Usopp and Chopper confused by them Robin explains that those ghosts can completely depress you with a single touch. The Zombies surround the two but before they can be carried off, Usopp shoots them with several lead pellets. Taking this opportunity, they charge forward up the stairs. Chopper picks up Luffy and Sanji as they rush upward. "They ghosts are gaining on us!"

"No! I don't want us to get caught!" Chopper has barely finished his sentence when the ceiling of the room comes crashing down, and the whole room with it! The floor shudders, and shakes under the red head's feet, and he dives forward as a list ditch effort to avoid being taken down with it. Through a shower of pulverized stone and dust, he goes sprawling across solid ground. He rolls for a moment before bounding to his feet, looking around quickly for everyone else. Robin, Luffy and Chopper are the only three that seem to have made it onto this relatively safe ground with him. "Usopp! Sanji!"

"They're fine, Chopper!" Run assures him. "Let's go! They'll catch up!" After a moment of hesitation, Chopper nods and steps away from the edge. They all continue forward, sprinting down the hall onward towards Moria.

"Ahead of us should be the dance hall where he stole Luffy's shadow! Past that should be a giant freezer! That's where Moria was the last time I saw him!" All three nod in understanding, pushing forward down the deserted hall. Sure enough, at the end of the hall is the dance hall...but it's no longer empty. Instead, there are two people waiting for them...one of which is obviously a zombie. "Hogback!"

"Huh?" grunts the large man, turning at the sound of his name. "Didn't Perona take care of you lot?"

"Oi! I recognize him!" Luffy shouts. "He was with Moria when he stole my shadow! Let's just give him a beating!"

"Wait, Luffy!" calls Chopper. "Please, leave him to me. See that door? That leads directly to the freezer and Moria! Go on ahead!" Luffy stares at him for several moments before nodding firmly in response, and taking off towards the freezer door.

"Aah! You can't just cut right to Moria!" Hogback shouts. "Where are your manners?! Stop him, Cindry!" The woman beside him surprises them all by suddenly tossing a number of plates at Luffy. He dodges the ceramic missiles, weaving this way and that before Robin finally stops her by binding her arms with a number of her own.

"Damn it! He's getting away! Can't you-"

"Hogback!" Chopper screams, halting the man. "I refuse to consider you a doctor! You've completely lost your way!"

"Oh, Dr. Chopper...I didn't recognize you for a moment. You're a Zoan type Devil Fruit user, huh? I just figured you for a rather perculiar creature." The man crosses his arms. "I don't know how you managed to escape Perona's garden but that won't happen again now that you've run into me. I'm going to take your shadow...no. Actually, how about I just kill you and use your body, instead?" From behind the man, a pair of zombies approach. "They'll do the dirty work!"

"That penguin...it's got Sanji's shadow in it!"

"That one?" Robin echos. "Then what about the other?" Standing beside the penguin-dog, the other zombie clutches a pair of blades with a third resting at it's waist. Robin concludes that it must be the zombie that has Zoro's shadow in it. After all, he's the only swordsman she's ever met that uses three swords.

"Go!" Hogback commands. "Wipe the floor with them!" The red head immediately looks toward the two zombies squaring off against Robin, Chopper and Run. The red head reaches down to grip the hilt of his saber...a move which the zombie with Zoro's shadow follows. Both of them move in an instant, light dancing off the edge of their blades as they take a single step towards each other. The zombie raises a single blade up over it's shoulder quickly.

"Thirty-Six Pound Phoneix!" Run's Haki coated blade rakes along the ground, gouging deep into the stone as he slashes up towards the zombies attack.

"Red Line Strike!" A wave of Busoshoku Haki races through the air and concrete. The attacks collide so violently, that several of the windows in the room shatter as a result, and a huge crater is punched in the floor. Both swordsman move again, disappearing through the resulting shower of dust and stone. There are several loud clashes before Zoro's zombie comes sliding back through the dust, his back facing the others and a fresh cut now splitting his shoulder.

"You're a good swordsman," speaks the zombie, holding his swords tighter. Run calmly strides out of the dust, and scrubs a hand through his now slightly choppy hair with a sour look on his face. There's a thin cut on his right cheek, just below his eye but he appears otherwise unhurt.

"Haaah...this is great." He lowers his hand with a smirk, his new choppy hair forgotten for the moment. "Fake or not...you really do seem to have all of Zoro's moves..." The zombie tilts it's head in response.

"Zoro? Never heard of that person." A number of arms suddenly sprout from the zombie's body, and encircle him tightly, pinning his arms down to his side.

"Now!" Robin calls. "Feed him the salt!" Although he doesn't exactly like the idea of doing something so underhanded, time isn't exactly on their side either. Better to end the fight as quickly as possible...after all, he can always ask Zoro for a spar another time, right? So, the red head charges forward towards the zombie, free hand digging into the bag of salt that Brook gave him earlier. Robin's hands reach towards the zombies mouth, and begin to pry it open. As he nears, however, he notices someone approaching from the corner of his eye.

"Run, look out!" Chopper screams. By instant he raises his arm, shielding his head from a powerful kick that sends him sliding back from the swordsman. His forearm throbs in pain but otherwise he feels alright. The penguin stands between him and Zoro's zombie.

"You idiot," complains the penguin. "Letting yourself get caught by that woman." Rather than pursue, the penguin turns on it's heel and dashes towards Robin. It completely surprises them all by suddenly running off towards Robin...and actually kicking her to the ground, and freeing Zoro's zombie. Chopper and Run blink in surprise.

"D...Did Sanji just...kick a woman?" Hogback actually breaks out into laughter, drawing their attention.

"Are you surprised?" Hogback questions them, watching Chopper dash to Robin's side. "You shouldn't be. Although those Zombies have your friends shadows...they don't have even a single memory left of their days as your crewmates! A fresh Zombie might occasionally retain memories or feelings related to their old selves but these shadows have settled into their new bodies. They have become Zombies that will completely obey my ever command." Their ship doctor growls at the man in response.

"You know, I'm actually glad to see that you're rotten to the core. You've saved countless lives...I really respected you as a doctor. Even your Zombie research couldn't change my mind. Death can come so suddenly...just think of all the heart-ache that can be spared if a family could see their loved one again. It doesn't have to be years...just a few minutes to hear their final words would be enough!" Hogback breaks out into laughter again.

"Fool! Why would I go to such lengths for others? Do you have any idea how much I've suffered because of my genius? I conducted operations for money! The kind of things that no ordinary quack could treat, I was the one to take the case, and I always succeeded! Because of that there was no end of patients begging for my treatment! Can you understand how I felt?! You're free to respect me if you want but I certainly don't need your approval! What?! Are you going to lecture me on my ethics?!"

"I wouldn't dream of it! First...I'd have to consider you a doctor!" Hogback's brows raise in response. "You haven't succeeded in anything! These Zombies...your research...all you've done is reanimate the dead! They aren't even really alive! Don't take life so lightly!"

"Haven't succeeded?" Hogback echos. "How cruel! They're walking and talking right in front of you, and you don't consider them to be alive?"

"Living without free-will isn't living," Run chimes in, earning Chopper and Hogback's attention. "The whole point of being alive is living at your own pace. Living while moving forward, one foot after the next, and come what may."

"You just don't get it. I'm giving the dead a second chance at life! Why can't you understand?!" Hogback turns and walks towards Cindry. "Why would you reject these lives? Watch!" He suddenly kicks the woman to the ground with ease. "Now, lick the floor, Cindry." To their utter surprise, she does just as instructed. "You saw it, didn't you? That room, Dr. Chopper...that was MY room!" They listen as Hogback explains the story behind Cindry...or more accurately, his obsession with her. They met with she was his patient, and he fell in love with her.

Unfortunately for him, she already had a fiance, and wasn't in the slightest swayed by his reputation as a genius doctor. But an accident cost her her life on stage. At a loss for purpose, and nursing a broken heart, he was swayed by Moria to work for him on the condition that he would revive Cindry. But as it turns out, Hogback wasn't interested in who she is as a person but her beauty.

"How can you, knowing all of that, still consider her to be alive?" questions Run.

"Don't question me on life when you know nothing about it!" roars Hogback. "Damn it! Just finish them off already! I'm done with them!" Run grips his saber tighter and rushes Zoro's zombie quickly. Chopper barrels right by the red head, ignoring the two zombies and rushing to Cindry. The swordsman doesn't even pay Chopper a passing glance as he focuses solely on the red head. Their figures flicker briefly, and in an instant it looks as if they've done nothing more than exchange places. Seconds later, a myriad of slashes erupt across the ground. Both swordsman turn immediately, swords raising.

Run slashes his saber up, intending to cut from hip to shoulder. The zombie parries it with apparent ease but a loud 'crack!' sounds seconds later as Run suddenly smacks him across the jaw with the saber sheath. A tooth skips across the marred concrete, something the zombie doesn't even seem to notice. He quickly parries the successive follow up strikes before thrusting his own blade out towards the red head's chest. Run blocks with the flat of his blade but still goes sliding back across the ground.

"Damn it! Dogguin! Jigoro! Help Cindry! Take out the pests!" Run looks towards Chopper and Cindry just in time to watch the penguin kick their doctor away from Cindry. The zombie Run has been fighting, Jigoro apparently, turns his back on the red head without a second thought.

"Three Sword Style...One-Hundred and Eight Pound Phoenix!" shouts Jigoro, slinging the attack at the three and barely missing the trio. Again Robin's arms sprout from the swordsman, wrapping him up and pinning his arms to his sides. "Not you again!" He tears an arm free, and looks in her direction. "Take out the pests!" Run moves the moment he swings his sword, appearing between Robin and the attack.

"Haki Burst!" The collision of these two attacks pulverizes the stone floor between them. The red head growls, tightening his grip on the hilt of his saber while Jigoro frees himself completely of Robin's grasp. "You-"

"Bastard!" calls Dogguin, attracting Jigoro's attention. Both Robin and Run look at the penguin, who squares off with Jigoro. "Why did you attack me along with that reindeer? Don't be a pest!" The next second, the two of them are at each other's throat, fighting as if they aren't even there.

"Hey!" screams Hogback. "What are you two doing?! Knock it off! You need to-"

"Robin!" shouts Chopper. A number of arms sprout from Hogback, and immediately force him to close his mouth. "Yes!" Robin and Run approach the doctor slowly.

"My, my, isn't this fascinating?" chuckles Robin. "You ordered them to take out the pests." She glances briefly over her shoulder at the two fighting. "There they go, obediently trying to carry out that order. I wonder just what would happen if a new order wasn't issued?" Robin suddenly releases the doctor with a smirk. "Since you're so intent on issuing orders...why don't you order us to jump off the tower? It's rather high up, after all." Without missing a beat, Hogback does just that...unfortunately, his orders lack clarity...and the only one's who break out into a sprint are Jigoro and Dogguin. The two sprint past them, and plow through the wall of the tower only to plummet straight down.

"Waaaaahh!" screams Hogback. "You tricked me! How could you?! You three are the scum of all man-kind!"

"Haaah...look who's talkin'!" Run growls, stepping forward. Hogback finds himself staring down the length of Run's saber, the point of which presses against his throat. Hogback watches as a single drop of his own blood races down the edge down the guard. "But, personally...I wouldn't be too worried about that right now." Chopper, having transformed into his Heavy Point earlier to fight Cindry, suddenly cracks his knuckles loudly. Robin reaches out, and gently pushes the red-heads blade to the side. A sour looks appears on his face for a brief moment before he shoves the blade back into it's sheath and paces away.

Robin follows with a giggle. "My, do you really want to kill him that badly?" Robin asks, staring at his back. "Or...are you just upset about your hair?" Run mumbles something in response, and swipes a hand through his choppy hair again. Robin giggles a second time and reaches out to capture one of his hands. "Tell you what, I'll cut it for you when we're all done here." He chuckles and turns to face her with a smile.

"Didn't know you were a hairdresser."

"I'm a woman of many talents."

"C-C-Cindry!" screams Hogback, attracting their attention. Chopper holds a squirming Hogback off his feet by the front of his shirt. "H-Help me out here! I need to make a run for it!" When no response is forth-coming he finally stops his squirming and looks back at her. "What are you doing?! I can give you another shadow if they take it! Don't worry about something like dying!" They all turn their attention to the unmoving woman, and watch as tears begin flowing down her cheeks. "C-Cindry?"

"I...cannot move," Cindry admits. "I cannot stop crying." Caught off-guard by her appearance, Chopper drops the now still Hogback to the ground. He scrambles back towards Cindry quickly, standing beside her.

"Can't move?! What the hell are you talking about?! I'm ordering you to move, and to dry those crocodile tears! Who do you think gave you your body back?! And a soul so you can move?! Your whole reason for existance is to obey your masters orders!"

"She's trying to resist," Chopper mutters. "Even though she passed ten years ago her soul is doing it's best to resist. Is it even possible that her soul still remains after ten years?"

"Even if you poured over the pages of every book in every library in the world, I doubt we could find an answer," Robin replies. She suddenly stumbles forwards a few steps before finally bracing herself.

"U...Understood," drones Cindry. "I will kill these three."

"Atta girl!" cheers Hogback. "I knew you'd return to your senses! Make sure to buy me lots of time to get away!" Robin slowly raises her arms.

"How disappointing," drawls Robin. "I was hoping for some kind of miracle. Doce Fluers!" A number of arms sprout from Cindry's body, all of which grasp tightly, binding her tightly. Seeing Cindry bound up, Hogback takes off sprinting away from them. He's barely made it three steps before he's finds himself standing across from the red head. He holds the saber out in front of him, as if inspecting the silvery blade. It's an unspoken threat...and one that sends a chill down his spine.

"Haaah...going somewhere, doc?" Run drawls in question. He finally lifts his grey eyes from the weapon to stare at him just as Chopper closes in from behind. The whole room suddenly begins shaking, and all of them look around rapidly. "What in the-" The ceiling, floors and walls of the room shatter before he can even finish his sentence.

"Chopper! Run! Over here!" screams Robin, hoping they aren't swallowed by the collasping floor. Both leap across the shattered floor quickly, and land beside her just in time to avoid falling with Cindry and Hogback. They watch as a huge zombie begins stomping through the mostly destroyed rooms. "Is...Is that...?"

"It's Luffy's zombie...!"


	41. The Legendary Devil Oars!

They stare in awe at the hulking red-skinned zombie as it slowly stomps it's way through the room. " _That's_ the zombie they stuffed Luffy's shadow into?" Run asks Chopper, staring at the giant. He pats the bag of salt attached to his hip. "Haaah...gonna take more salt than this to purify that thing."

"He looks like a man on a mission," Robin adds, watching him march forward. "So to speak." Chopper approaches the edge of the floor and looks down below.

"Look, Cindry and Hogback fell down a floor," Chopper tells them. They turn their attention from the red skinned giant to the two below them. Hogback is pinned under a large chunk of the stone floor while Cindry stands several feet away from him. Even from their position over-looking them, and with the heavy-stopping of the zombie giant they can hear the good doctor demanding help.

"What's wrong with you?!" Hogback screams. "Stop standing there and get this thing off of me!" Hearing the stomping and feeling the vibration, he turns his attention quickly to the approaching zombie. "C-Cindry! Hurry up! Save me on the double!" However, rather than rushing to his aid right away, she instead stands frozen in place. "Why are you just standing there?! Hurry up! Oars is coming! I can't get stepped on when I'm a genius! Cindry!"

"I...I...cannot move," Cindry groans.

"What?! You're repeating that bullshit again?! A sense of loyalty is the only will a zombie should have! Now save me! Your looks are the only thing you have, you rotten corpse!" Ignoring Hogback's words, she turns around to look up at the three of them...and actually smiles. "Damn it, Cindry! Hurry up! Oars is coming!" The red skinned giant, Oars, continues his approach. "Oars! Look down, you bastard! It's me! The one who modified your body so you could-" Oars giant foot comes down on the prone Hogback, silencing him immediately.

"Haaah...killed by his own creation," says Run. "A fitting end." The red giant finally seems to notice the three of them as he reaches the end of the room. "We...should go." He roughly shoves his saber back into it's sheath, grabs both Robin and Chopper and disappears in an instant. They both hang on tightly to the red head as the scenery passes in a blur around them. They can hear loud crashing and shattering as if Luffy's zombie is going completely crazy. When everything finally returns to normal they find themselves standing in Perona's garden. Run gently sets Chopper down, who suddenly braces himself against his leg. Even Robin holds tight to him for several long moments.

"Wh-What was that?" Chopper groans.

"Shave takes some getting used to. Don't worry, it'll pass."

"Robin! Chopper! Run!" All three turn to look in the direction of the familiar voice. Usopp, beaten and roughed up, is kneeling on the rampart of the garden. "W-W-We've got a problem! Our wanted posters are attached to Zombie Luffy's arm!" They watch as Oars wanders away from the exit he's made in the side of the castle. "I'm completely sure of it! He's definitely...after us!"

" **STRAW HAT CREW! COME OUT!** "

"Damn it, Luffy! Are you really going to crush your own crew?!" The trio approach Usopp and stare at the zombie in the distance.

"Moria must have issued the order," Robin asserts.

"Oi! Usopp! That you down there?!" screams a familiar voice. All heads turn toward the sound, and spy in the distance not just Zoro but Franky and Brook standing on top of a large tower.

"Zoro?! Why are you on the roof?!" Usopp demands. "Huh? Is that Brook with you?!"

"Haaah...looks like he's in one piece," Run mutters. "So to speak."

"So we can check the skeleton off our list," says Robin. "But it's too soon to check off Nami." Out of the corner of her eye she spots someone moving among the rubble around Oars. "Look. Isn't that...Sanji?" All eyes turn from the tower to the rubble below. Sure enough, Sanji is standing across from the huge red giant. "Did he manage to rescue Nami?"

"Is that idiot really picking a fight with Luffy's zombie?" Chopper suddenly leaps up onto the red-head's shoulders, and grabs hold of his choppy hair. "Ow, ow, ow! Chopper! Loosen up!"

"Crap! This looks really bad!" cries Chopper, holding tighter. "This is really bad!"

"I assumed that they were only interested in our shadows," Robin speaks, reaching up and pulling at the little reindeer on Run's shoulders. With a bit of difficulty she manages to loosen his grip and finally pull him off. Chopper wiggles in her grip and holds tight to her.

"Robin! I'm scared! I'm so scared! I can't fight that monster!" Run rubs his stinging scalp for a moment before reaching out and pats their doctor on his head.

"I'll go," Run asserts. "I should lend our idiot cook a hand before he gets in over his head." The red head takes a single step forward before Usopp thrusts a hand in front of him. "Hm?"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Usopp demands. "W-We should just leave this to Sanji! We don't want to trip him up!"

"Didn't you just say that he has our wanted posters? Oars is going to re..." Run pauses and then recalls the Sanji's wanted poster. He attempts to surpress his laughter when he recalls just how poorly his picture was drawn for the poster. "You know, on second thought...I think he'll be fine."

"Exactly! Sanji doesn't look a thing like the picture on his wanted poster!" The red head jumps up on the rampart quickly to get a better look.

"I have _got_ to see this." Oars lifts his arm and stares at it for a moment before looking down at Sanji.

"Ohh...you look just like the photo on your poster," Oars tells him.

"Dahahahaha!" Run loses himself immediately, breaking out into gales of laughter. "He...He thinks he looks like...the photo! Dahahahah!" Oars looks at the photo again and then back to Sanji before leaning forward slightly to completely stare down at him.

"You're definitely one of those pirates...I'm gonna crush you!" Oars drops to his knees and begins throwing punches immediately, intending to crush Sanji with a single fist. Unfortunately for him, Sanji is far quicker than he has anticipated, and he dodges each one with ease. "Little twerp is jumping all over the place!" The speed of his punches increases, surprising all of them and putting an end of Run's laughter. A huge cloud of dust is kicked up from every impact, eventually blocking their view, and Oars as well.

When he finally stops, all of them wait in silence, hoping Sanji hasn't gotten himself crushed. Several long seconds pass before their cook casually strolls out of the dust cloud looking no worse for wear. Chopper and Usopp immediately grin.

"Sanji!" they exclaim in unison.

"Hmm...you won't get away again!" Oars raises his hand quickly. "Gum-Gum..."

"Can he use Luffy's techniques, too?!"

"...Sickle!" Although he arm doesn't extend, he pulverizes the ground with ease none-the-less. But when he's got such long reach it doesn't really matter in the end. It's pretty clear now that his huge body isn't just for show. He's got not just their size but the strength of a giant as well.

"Oars," echos Robin. "I've...heard that name before. But there's no way. Could he really be the legendary Continent Puller from ancient times, the Devil Oars?" Sanji rushes at the red skinned giant, and leaps up toward's his face quickly.

"Collier Frit!" shouts Sanji, aiming to kick Oars in the chin. He surprises them all, however, by snapping his head down and intercepting his kick with a head-butt. Sanji lands several meters away from the giant who has apparently suffered no damage. Before he can react, he's punched by Oars hard enough that it sends him flying several hundred meters back to crash into the side of a building behind him. Oars rushes after him faster than any of them thought possible, and grabs a falling Sanji in one hand.

"Sanji!" screams Chopper, watching Oars raise Sanji up high as if to smash him into the ground. "He's gonna kill him!"

"Damn it!" growls Run, lunging forward with as his might. He covers the distance in the blink of an eye, appearing beside Oar's outstretched arm with his saber drawn. "Let him go! Red Line Strike!" He slashes Oars wrist, and the hand goes slack immediately. It takes Chopper only a glance to realize that Run has cut deep enough to actually sever the tendons. Sanji drops from his slack grip, plummeting straight down to the rubble below.

"Irritating red hair!" grunts Oars, back handing him with his undamaged hand. Run is sent smashing through one of the far walls, and disappears in the dust and rubble. The red giant raises his damaged hand and grips his cut wrist tightly. Loud, wet cracking and popping sounds as he forces it to rotate...and when he's finished he flexes his formerly slack fingers as if they'd never been damaged.

"Sanji! Run!" bellows Usopp, watching Oars look first as Sanji and then in Run's direction as if he can't decide who to finish off first. "Fire Bird Star!" Usopp fires off a flaming pellet at Oars before he can make a decision. It strikes him in the back of the head, and immediately sets him ablaze. Only after several long moments does he turn to face their direction. He raises his arm to look at the posters.

"There is the black haired lady and the reindeer eating cotton candy."

"Aah! He's coming over here!"

"Shit! Franky! Lure him over here!" demands Zoro, drawing his swords. The cyborg smirks in response and raises his right arm.

"Now we're talkin'!" agrees Franky. He rotates his forearm, and fires off a barrage of bullets from his hidden machine gun. Oars surprises all of them by ducking the barrage, and then kicking the base of the tower. It shatters completely under his strength, and Zoro takes the opporunity presented to him. He leaps off the top of the tower, and dashes up the zombie's leg.

"Get off the tower, you two!" He leaps up towards Oars face. "One Gorilla...Two Gorilla! Three Sword Style...Two Gorilla Slash!" Oars jerks his whole body back at the last second, losing one of the fangs on his lower jaw but little else. He looks straight up at the swordsman.

"Gum-Gum...Volcano!" announces Oars, kicking Zoro high into the sky.

"Crew on this, monster!" growls Franky. "Weapon's Left!" Oars back-flips out of the way of the attack, avoiding it completely. "What the?! How is he so nimble for being so big?!" The red giant reaches towards the tower of a near-by building, and rips it off with a bit of a grunt...before launching it at Franky and Brook. It knocks them off into a sea of rubble which swallows the two whole.

"Dang it!" screams Chopper. "We've got to catch Zoro! He'll die for sure if he falls from that height!"

"Cien Fleurs!" calls Robin, crossing her arms. "Spider Net!" Numerous arms sprout from the rampart, spinning themselves into a make-shift net to catch a falling Zoro. They've barely managed to catch him before Oars appears right in front of them, remains of the stone tower raised high above his head.

"Aah! You may be a giant but you're still a zombie!" shouts Usopp. "Eat this! Special Attack! Salt Star!" He fires the salt pellets right down Oars' throat. He blinks in confusion as he swallows them and then stares at the three in front of him. "He's too big! It's not enough salt!" Oars twitches slightly, and slings the remains of the tower in their direction, smashing the bridge completely...

* * *

"Nnh...gaah!" Run grunts loudly, tossing a large piece of concrete off of himself with his free hand. "Haaah..." He turns his head and spits out a small mouthful of blood before wiping his lips with his back of his palm. "Damn it. He's really as strong as he looks." The red head stands, and cracks his neck loudly before scanning his surroundings. Oars is nowhere to be found...and other than seeing Sanji lying out in the open, he can't see anyone else. He walks to the edge of the hole his body has created, and jumps down with another grunt. He roughly shoves his saber into it's sheath, and approaches their cook. "Oi...Sanji. Get up."

He stops beside the unmoving cook, and calls out a second time...before lightly kicking him in the side. "Gaah! You rotten bastard!" growls Sanji, springing up quickly. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! Do you wanna die, red?!"

"Good, you're awake," Run replies, ignoring his threats. "Enough sleeping on the job. Help me find the others." Still ignoring Sanji's complaining, they search the surrounding rubble for the other members of their crew. They find Franky, Brook and Zoro easy enough...but it takes a bit of digging to find Robin, Usopp and Chopper. Run quickly digs Robin out of the rubble. He tosses aside large chunks of stone quickly to get to her and finally pulls her out. She's looks a little bruised...but otherwise unhurt. He reaches out a hand and pulls her up to her feet. "Are you ok?"

Robin smiles nods in response, and gives his hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'm fine," Robin assures him. "What about you?" He looks down at himself, his clothes are tattered, his body bruised and bleeding in several places. He shrugs, and smirks.

"I'll live."

"You two done, red?" Zoro questions them, earning a hard stare from Robin. With everyone finally brought back together...they turn their attention to Oars. They have to find him and take him down to get Luffy's shadow back. When they finally find him again, he's standing on top of one of the buildings, and staring through one of the windows.

"Damn, that's one nasty monster," Franky complains.

"He's not just strong but fast for being so big. What was his name, again?"

"Wasn't it Rose?" Sanji wonders aloud. "No, it ended with an 'S'."

"Hughes."

"That doesn't sound close to right."

"Orse?"

"Can't be, it ends with an 'S', remember," Run retorts. "It's Oars, right?"

"I-I'm sorry, everyone," Brook stutters. "I-I still can't..."

"We get it. Just give us some space, Brook...and try not to get caught up in this." They stop several meters away from the red giant. "Oi! Oars!" He tilts his head up to look at them. "Moria stuffed Luffy's shadow into you...but that just means that you shouldn't underestimate the strength of the crew." Oars suddenly breaks out into laughter as he stares down at them.

"You puny pirates sure are tough!" laughs Oars. Without another word he suddenly stands, and leaps high into the sky before smashing down in front of them. Not a single one of them flinch or move despite the impact tremors and rush of air that assaults them.

"Just throwing this out there," Zoro begins. "What do you guys think of sending him flying?"

"Not a bad idea," agrees Run.

"I bed it would be a blast," Sanji adds.

"N-No!" cries Usopp quickly. "Hold on! You guys said...send him flying? Do you really think we can do that to that behemoth?"

"I was really surprised when he started jumping around like Luffy," Zoro muses, smirking. "I'd never expect something so big to actually be so agile, too."

"Enough talking," Oars grunts. "Just go crunch already." He leaps up into the air high above them. "Gum-Gum...Butt Drop!" The giant comes smashing down, landing on his behind as they all dodge out of the way. While they're all moving away he suddenly focuses his attention on Franky. "Gum-Gum..." Oars raises his giant fist in the air.

"Oi, Franky! He's targeting you!"

"...Hammer!" Franky dodges out of the way of his huge fist, and slides back across the ground.

"Damn punk!" growls Franky, dropping the huge stone nuchuku he's carrying. "You're just beggin' me to show you who's boss!" He suddenly takes off sprinting towards Usopp and Chopper. "Behold our forces combined! Guys! It's time for tactics number fifteen!" The two of them seem surprised by the cyborg's decision but follow after him none-the-less as he changes course for Sanji and Zoro. "Zoro! Curly! Enter stand-by!"

"Stand-by?" echos Sanji.

"Just get ready to hold my legs!" Robin and Run watch them from a distance, confused about what exactly the three are planning. They find out in short order as they're forced to watch their 'Pirates Docking: Six'...it's a 'technique' that makes Run laugh so hard that tears actually being falling down his cheeks. Robin, on the other hand, stands in complete silence. It takes Chopper only a few seconds to realize that no one is clinging to Franky's left arm. "W-Wait, what?! Nico Robin! Hurry up! Dock onto my left arm, already!"

"No," Robin says firmly. "That would hurt my pride as a human." Chopper, Franky and Usopp are all taken aback by her plain and blunt words...which she repeats again just to make sure they've heard her.

"So, you're not going to dock?" Oars actually asks, earning their attention. "You guys got me all worked up for nothing! C'mon, do it!" Oars raises one of his hands and swings it towards them. "Dock with him!" He knocks Usopp, Franky and Chopper right off of Sanji and Zoro's shoulders. The three sail across the court-yard and smash into the near-by wall.

"Robin!" shouts Franky. "We could have become Robot Warrior Big Emperor!"

"Don't ask me to 'dock' with you again," Robin tells them. "Ever." Zoro stabs two of his swords into Franky's discarded nuchuku, and hefts the huge weapon over his shoulder. Sanji grabs Oars' attention by suddenly kicking a huge rock into the side of his head.

"Oi! Robin!" calls Zoro, sprinting towards the red giant. "Go for his joints when I whack his left arm!" Oars turns to face their cook, bracing himself as he cocks back.

"You little shrimp!" growls Oars. "Gum-Gum...!"

"Now, Usopp!" demands Sanji.

"Got it!" replies Usopp. "Special Attack! Special Oil Star! Three Chamber Shot!" The oil balls strike Oars hand that he's bracing himself with, and immediately slips out from under him.

"Oi! Red!" screams Zoro, glancing back at the red head. "Send me flying!" Run nods in understanding, and then disappears briefly only to reappear in his path. He lowers his stance, and cups his hands just as Zoro approaches. The swordsman steps up onto his palms, and Run launches him skyward towards Oars easily. "Alright! Super...Fencing!"

"Cien Fluers!" announces Robin. "Big Tree! Clutch!" Thousands of arms sprout from behind Oars, and quickly tie up his left arm before twisting it around behind his back. Franky and Chopper rush towards the off-balance giant. Their shipwright builds a hasty staircase to get them up to his head before they leap off towards him.

"Take this! Super...Frapper...Gong!" Their fists connect with Oars' jaw so hard that it completely stuns the giant. "Run! Hit him, too!" The red head launches himself straight up towards the red giant's head, fist raising. "Take him down!"

"Sea King's Bite!" A resounding 'boom!' accompanies the strike, and it sends the giant reeling. He smashes shoulder first into the near-by building, nearly leveling it with his massive body. The only thing keeping him standing is one leg. Sanji takes a long drag from his cigarette and exhales a grey cloud.

"That leg," begins Sanji. "That's all that's keeping you standing...but not for long!" The cook launches himself at the disoriented giant, gliding through the air towards his leg. "Bad Manner...Kick Course!" Sanji smashes into his ankle, and with a loud grunt knocks it out from under him. He smashes into the very building supporting him, landing upside down and nearly toppling it completely. Usopp celebrates immediately, cheering loudly as he stares at the toppled zombie. They slowly approach him, standing several meters away when they stop.

"You all...you're a bunch of meanies!" complains Oars. "Now I'm pissed! I'm gonna send the whole lot of you flying!" Although he says that...he remains absolutely still. "H-Huh? M-My horns! My horns are stuck too deep in the ground!" A gleam appears in the eyes of all present, when causes cold beads of sweat to roll down Oars' face. "W-Wait a second..."

"Ooh~," drawls Franky. "What's that you say? Your horns are stuck?"

"Haaah," sighs Run, raising his saber and resting it on his shoulder. "How unfortunate." They calmly approach the stuck giant...and deliver a quick and sound beating.

"Aaaah! Give it a rest!" screams Oars, suddenly breaking free. The crew falls back immediately, eventually coming to a stop some distance away. "You're all like a bunch of devils!" They stare up at the red giant who seems to have shrugged off their attacks easily enough.

"Any got any more ideas? I'm open to suggestions."

"To stand a chance against that monster," begins Franky. "It looks like our only choice is really going to be Tactic's Fifteen!" Chopper and Usopp are naturally onboard with Franky's idea, sure that it will work if they can just get Robin to 'dock' with them.

"Don't ask me to do that!" Robin snaps back, and crossing her arms in irritation.

"You dumbasses!" Sanji shouts at them. "There's no way that Robin would do something so humiliating!" The cook pauses for a moment as if lost in thought, and a sudden perverse grin splits his face. "Actually, I might want to see Robin dock after all, ehehe~." He feels a sharp gaze land on him, and he slowly glances over his shoulder. 'Pissed' might be an accurate word to describe exactly how Robin appears. "K-Kidding! I was totally kidding, Robin!"

"Haaah...it's all well and good to have some fun," Run grunts. "But can you at the least not irritate-"

"Alright, enter stand-by, men!" announces Franky. "Pirates Docking Three!" Just as before, Chopper perches on top of Franky's head and Usopp clings to his right arm. "Oi, curly! Lend me a hand, err, actually lend me your leg! Gimme a boost!"

"Fine!" Sanji agrees. "I like your drive! Go! Armee de l'Air Robot Shoot!" Sanji sends the three of them sailing through the air, and to actually land on top of Oars' head. Maybe it's because they were actually expecting...well, they aren't sure what they _were_ expecting but the attack is little more than some stomping and taunting. All of it rather ineffective, at least until they rile Oars up enough to actually make him punch himself in the face in an attempt to squash them.

"Well? How does it feel to ring your own bell?"

"Good job! It went just as I planned! Did you see, Robin? Well done, Pirates Docking Three!"

"Here it comes! The second knock down!" Oars shakes his head violently, and then braces himself before he falls. "Dang! We were so close!"

"Haah...he's tougher than he looks," Run takes a step towards Oars, and Usopp suddenly thrusts his arm out. "What, Usopp?"

"Just wait a second," Usopp tells him. "I've got an idea."

"Look, enough's enough with the tricks."

"Just hear me out!" Everyone turns to look at him in response. "It looks like he hasn't completely lost his memories. Remember the way he reacted, and whined when Robin wouldn't dock with us? Doesn't that remind you guys of Luffy? So, when you get down to it...doesn't that mean he shares all of Luffy's weaknesses?" It finally dawns on all of them seconds later, and they scatter. "Oohhh! Look! It's a mountain of meat!"

"Meat?!" grunts Oars. "Where?! Where is it?!" Franky and Zoro attack him from behind the next second, knocking the red giant to his knees. "Aah. This is so embarrassing. There's no meat...and I was knocked to my knees." Franky laughs in response.

"Good job!" cheers Franky. "All we've got to do is just keep knocking him down until Luffy beats Moria! Hurry up and get your shadow back, Straw Hat!"

"Why wait?" Zoro questions him. "All we've got to do is just take down this big lug."

"Whoa, wait a second! Weren't we just keeping him busy so that he doesn't get in Luffy's way?! Do you seriously think you can beat it?!" Zoro grips the tsuka of his newly aquired sword with a feral grin on his face.

"I'm just accepting the fight he picked. What's wrong with that?"

"It doesn't matter how much you cut him up! He's a zombie! The only way that we can win is to purify him!"

"You could always just run away," Sanji tells him. "I don't plan on waiting for Luffy, either."

"Guess there's really no other option," agrees Run. "Can't leave him to just stomp around." While Usopp, Chopper and Franky are beside themselves with worry, Robin only giggles in response.

"Looks like there's no stopping them," Robin tells them. Oars stands up slowly, and raises one of his massive fists. Zoro responds by drawing his newly acquired sword. It's a solid black blade with a crimson saw-toothed Hamon. The red head whistles in appreciation, having recognized it the moment it left it's saya. It is, without a doubt, the O-Wazamono Grade blade Shusui. It's widenly renown for both it's durability and destructive capability.

"Supposedly this sword won't bend a millimeter even if a dinosaur steps on it," Zoro mutters. "This sounds like the perfect chance to test it out! Oi!Your next opponent is going to be me!" Oars launches his fist down at Zoro, who redirects with a loud grunt. "It's far heavier than Yubashiri...but that added weight means..." He raises his swords quickly. "Three Sword Style...108 Pound Phoneix!" Zoro watches wide-eyed as the wave created by Shusui completely swallows the others. "It absorbed the others?"

Oars dodges the attack at the last second, and it slams into the wall behind him. A huge half-moon is blown in the stone...although it's far from a clean cut, it's still extremely impressive. "Shusui's slash absorbed the slashes from the other two and became one big one...but that excess damage...it really isn't the most compliant of swords. It's proof that I haven't mastered it, yet." He holds the weapon out as if to examine the blade. "You really gave me a great blade, Ryuma!"

"You're good!" Oars announces. "I bet that really would have hurt if it would have hit me, you bastard!" He raises one of his giant feet before smashing it down again and again towards the swordsman. "I'm gonna trample you! Stay still and let me step on you!" Zoro dodges this way and that avoiding his massive foot before eventually launching himself at the giant. A powerful blow from his swords knocks Oars' foot out from under him, and sends him toppling.

"Got you! Now! Three Sword Style-"

"I'm gonna flatten you!" He drops direction in Zoro's direction, intending to crush him under his body. The swordsman jumps back quickly, barely avoiding his massive body. He disappears into the resulting dust cloud as Oars finally stands himself up. "Damn it...I missed...and I can't see anything through all this dust!"

"Three Sword Style...108 Pound Phoenix!" Oars snaps his head back, and barely avoids Zoro's attack. He jumps out of the dust and lands beside the group.

"Zoro!" shouts Usopp. "Don't do anything crazy! Seriously! Even if by some chance you manage to defeat him, all you'd get out of it is Luffy's shadow! Your and Sanji's shadows would still be missing! But if Luffy takes down Moria everyone will get their shadows back immediately! You don't need to get hurt fighting an immortal zombie giant! Let's just place our trust in Luffy and keep this guy busy!"

"I do trust Luffy...but even he has a weakness."

"Trickery," asserts Run, earning Usopp's attention. "Think about what we've found so far...an invisible man...a girl who can control ghosts...and finally Moria. Everyone we've fought on this island is skilled in deception and deceit. There's no way that they're going to fight Luffy head-to-head. When morning comes, if Luffy still hasn't taken down Moria, then we're going to be down three fighters."

"At the very least, we need to get Luffy's shadow back. That way he can take over when dawn comes."

"I'd say we've got about thirty minutes before sunrise," Franky surmises. "But with these foggy waters, the sunlight won't hit everywhere."

"The fog is the only thing in our favor right now," Sanji adds. "With sunrise right on the horizon, the feeling of annihilation is setting in. We don't have any time to waste." The whole ship begins shaking violently several seconds later, nearly knocking all of them to their knees as a result. "What's going on now?!"

"L-Look! The fog...!"

* * *

\- - Several Minutes Earlier - -

"Master! Master! Master!"

"Something Terrible has happened!"

"For the first time, Thriller Bark has left the foggy waters! It's all Oars' fault!" Three little zombies sprint down a long hall towards Moria's room. They have to left him know of the danger! At this rate, a lot of the zombies are going to lose their shadows because of the sunlight! But their master is not alone. Waiting for them at the end of the hall is not just their master...but another man as tall as he is, and considerably shorter brunette woman wearing a white marine coat over a black suit.

"Don't make such a racket," complains Moria. "Who cares if we've left the fog? We're pirates! I don't care _where_ we are exactly so long as we're still sailing the sea! More importantly, shut your mouths! Can't you see that I'm entertaining guests? Isn't that right, Tyrant Kuma? I'm sure the World Government finds you useful but that just makes me more suspicious! Just what is it exactly that you're plotting? People like you are the most unsettling!"

"If you were to go on a trip where would you like to go?" Kuma responds.

"Oh, save it. I know exactly what your powers are. Did you come here for a fight..." He turns his gaze down on the Marine woman. "...or something else? Come on! State your business! What brought the two of you to me?"

"I'm just making a report. It's been decided who will fill the empty slot left by Crocodile."

"Really? It couldn't wait?" Kuma remains silent in response and Moria sighs. "Well, what's the name, and what ocean are they from?"

"Marshall D. Teach," responds the heretofor silent woman. "Also known as 'Blackbeard'. He's a stray from Whitebeard's crew...people are already beginning to talk about him. News hasn't reached this forsaken place, but he joined after proving his strength."

"I've never heard of him...what's his bounty?"

"Zero," says Kuma.

"Hah! I'm amazed the Government actually approved of someone so unknown! He must have done something quite good...or quite bad!" Moria laughs at his own joke for several seconds before sighing. "Well, at least the seat has been filled. Won't this help stabilize the world's balance of power?"

"No...just the opposite, I believe. But that's neither here nor there. To cut to the chase, the Government is concerned about something else. Since the incident at Enies Lobby, the Government has been keeping tabs on the Straw Hat Crew. They knew that if the Straw Hat's followed a log from Water 7 to Fishman Island, the chance of you stopping them would be high. Do you understand what I'm getting at? They fear that Straw Hat and his crew will defeat another Shichibukai." Moria moves in an instant, grasping Kuma by the front of his jacket.

"What kind of bullshit are you spewing?! You're worried about me?! Me, who took this position to suppress the weak pirates?!"

"If necessary, we're standing by to offer assistance," the woman tells Moria.

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to, bitch?!" His voice booms off the walls of the room, and rather than be frightened, the woman very casually turns her storm grey eyes up to him. "Are you saying that I might lose to a small band of inexperienced pirates?!

"Do you think Lucci predicted his defeat at the hands of a group of 'inexperienced pirates', Gekko Moria?"

"Are you telling me the Government is so scared of them that they're planning to throw two Shichibukai and a Vice Admiral at them?!"

"It was only an offer," Kuma tells Moria. "It's not as if we've been ordered to assist you."

"Hmph! Then just shut up and feast your eyes on what I do to them! Then you can go back and tell those pampered fools what you witnessed! Tell them that Gekko Moria effortlessly turned the Straw Hat crew into nothing but a bunch of zombie puppets!" Laughing manically, Moria leaves the room, completely ignoring Kuma and the Marine.

"Haaaah...what an insufferable man," complains the woman, slowly exhaling.

"You did well not to lose your temper, Vice Admiral Rena" Kuma tells her, crossing his arms.

"He's not why we're here." She turns on her heel calmly. "I'm going to observe, Kuma." The sound of her departing foot-steps sounds seconds later. The tall Shichibukai calmly cracks open the bible held in his hand, and carefully pulls out a wanted poster from within it's pages. He examines the poster for a brief moment before glancing over his shoulder at her and then back at the poster. "Hmm...what a strange feeling..."


	42. Extinguish the Shadows! Moria Laid Low!

"Damn it," complains Usopp. "What was with all that..." The words die in his throat as he stares up at the sky. There's...no longer any fog covering the area. In fact, everything is clear enough to see the stars over head. When morning comes...there's going to be nowhere for Luffy, Sanji and Zoro to hide. "Damn it! Why now of all times?! With that thick fog gone, the morning sun is going to shine right down on all of us! Haven't we got enough problems without...wh...waaah! I-It's Moria!"

"Where?!" demands Chopper. "Where is he?!" All of them quickly search their surroundings, looking for the Shichibukai.

"Why is he here? What happened to Luffy?" Just like the rest of them, Oars begins looking around for the man.

"Mind pointing him out, Usopp?" Run asks. "I don't see anything!"

"There! He's up there!" Usopp points in Oars direction quickly. "In his gut! He's in the middle of Oars' gut!"

"He's been hollow this whole time? Kinda explains the agility." Oars finally seems to notice Moria sitting in his gut and laughs loudly.

"Well, I'll be!" laughs Oars. "I've got a cock-pit in my tummy! Look at that!" He laughs again as he pokes at the 'cock-pit'. "I'm like a giant robot! From now on I'm, uh...Oarsbomber! Nice to meet all of you! I'm totally psyched that I get to be a giant robot!"

"Oars!" calls Moria quickly. "Calm down! Don't get so hyped up!" When the red giant finally calms himself down Moria laughs and looks down at them. "Ok, punks! I'm gonna give all of you a chance to fight me! If you win, then you can set all the shadows free! All of you feel free to attack me at once! But if you can't defeat Oars, then you'll never pull me out of him!"

"That's just dirty!" Usopp complains.

"If we don't defeat Moria we can't purify Oars," asserts Chopper. "But now we've got to take down Oars just to get to Moria."

"We need salt," Run says aloud. "That's the only way we're going to stop Oars." He glances over his shoulder at the man. "Usopp! Go find as much salt as possible! In the mean time, we're going to try to weaken him as much as possible!"

"Alright!" shouts Usopp, taking off running toward the only exit in the square. "I'll take care of this! I'm pretty sure that there was a kitchen in the first mansion we went to!"

"So that's your plan!" laughs Moria. "I thought you were raring to go but it looks like you guys are just going after some salt! Oi! Oars! Crush the path to the mansion along with that long nosed guy! Make it impossible for them to get to the kitchen!"

"Usopp, heads up!" screams Zoro in warning. Oars massive fist closes in on the sprinting Usopp in a heart-beat, smashing the exit and obscuring their sniper. "Usopp!" Chopper sprints towards the destroyed exit, looking around for Usopp in all the rubble.

"Shit!" Sanji growls. "That big lug is actually using his head now that Moria is pulling the strings!"

"Usopp!" cries Chopper. "Usopp, where are you?!"

"He's alright!" announces a voice from above. Brook drops out of the sky, carrying Usopp and a huge bag labelled 'Salt'. "I thought that you guys might need salt, so I gathered it in bulk!"

"Brook! You look like you're doing a lot better!"

"Indeed! Yohoho~! Although I was badly injured, I still drug my battered body to the kitchen in search of salt! Upon stumbling across some milk, I happily drank it and now just take a look at me! I'm truly better! Milk helps mend broken bones, after all!"

"Either way, you're just in time," Sanji says. "With the path to the kitchen cut off, Brooks salt is our last chance now." Moira's obnoxious laughter reaches their ears seconds later.

"You lot should be glad that I decided to join the fray," Moria tells them. "And I'd be extremely careful if I were you! I'm not simply a passenger here! I am going to show all of you the ultimate nightmare!" His laughter follows a second time.

"You," growls Brook. "I shall fight in this battle as well, then! I'll give it my all! It will be impossible to repay the debt I owe you all for recovering my shadow but I'll fight to my fullest regardless!" A loud 'crack!' sounds seconds later, and Brook slumps over with a whimper. "I...I'm still so stiff."

"Brook, keep the salt safe," Run orders him. Zoro, Sanji, Chopper and Run go charging forward seconds later. Chopper stops at the base of a large tower, one of the few that hasn't been crushed completely. Sanji and Run come to a stop several meters away while Zoro continues on.

"Here we go, Zoro!" calls Chopper, changing into his Heavy Point and cupping his hands. Zoro jumps towards their doctor, lands on his hands and gets sent flying up to the top of the tower.

"Three Sword Style," begins Zoro. "Great Buddha Slayer!" He hacks the tower into several large sections before landing beside Sanji, Chopper and Run. Sanji rushes forward the moments his feet touch the ground.

"Eat this! Jenga Cannon!" announces Sanji, kicking one of the chunks at Oars. It connects with his ribs, and sends the now suddenly flaming giant stumbling in the opposite direction. "Have seconds! Thirds! Fourths! Fifths! And sixths!" Each part of the tower is launched at Oars quickly, while Run draws his saber. "And now...you! Go, red!" Run dashes towards Sanji, and jumps up when he extends one of his legs. "Armee de l'Air Crimson Shoot!"

"Stinking jerk!" complains Oars. "You're annoying!" With a single blow he sends five of the pieces sailing away from him in the direction of Robin, Brook and Franky. Run appears before the giant, passing by his out-stretched arm quickly.

Moon light dances briefly off the edge of his saber, as he draws it and announces, "Churning Tide." Huge gashes appear on Oars' forearm...and begin racing up his arm all the way to the shoulder as if they've a mind of their own. Oars' right arm falls limply at his side, and the giant glances at it in confusion just as Run lands back with Zoro, Chopper and Sanji.

"Eh? That's weird...I can't move my arm."

Run calmly raises his saber, holding it out in front of him as if examining the blade. With a twitch of his hand, he spins it around to look at the opposite side, a smirk forming. "Haah...it held up well. No bending...not even a nick on the blade. Looks like you've found yourself a new owner, 'Sparrow'."

"Good job!" cheers Sanji. "Zombie or not, he won't be able to use his arm for a while like that!" Zoro stares at the cuts as well, eyes narrowing in response. Each one is clean, deep and precise...has he been capable of this the whole time? "Look!" All eyes turn towards a blur flying right towards Oars.

"This is going to be... _super_ ~!" bellows Franky. "I use this trench mortar against Sea Kings! I'm gonna fill ya full of holes, Moria!" Franky fires several shots at Moria, and Oars responds by dodging completely out of the way. He braces himself on an arm and leg. "Seriously?!" Oars launches out a foot, and kicks Franky into one of the nearby buildings, pulverizing part of the wall. He falls to the ground, surrounded by crushed stone where he lies motionless.

"Franky!" screams Usopp. The cyborg coughs violently, and lies spread eagle on the ground.

"You're not done yet, Oars," Moria tells him. "He's still hanging on by a thread. Finish him off!" Oars grunts in acknowledgement and raises one of his feet, intending to stomp the life out of Franky. Zoro, Chopper, Sanji and Run go rushing towards the red giant. Before they can cover the distance, however, he suddenly struck by a bolt of lightning. It's so strong that it forces the giant to his knees, and almost makes him plant face first into the ground as he braces himself with a single arm.

"Lightning?" grunts Chopper in question. "It's...it's got to be...!"

" _Nami_ ~!" screams Sanji, staring up at a broken bridge. "It's Nami~! I'm so glad to see you~! Nami~!"

"Stop yelling!" Nami shouts back. "What are you going to do if he notices me?!" Sanji breaks out into tears, saying just how glad he is that Nami is safe. Oars growls and pushes himself up slowly, his gazing turning to their Navigator. "See?!"

"Woman, how dare you take us so lightly," Moria growls. "Oars! Show them all your true power!"

"Gum-Gum..." begins Oars, raising his unhurt arm.

"Usopp! Grab Franky!" Zoro orders. "Now's our chance!"

"...Pistol!" They all stare in wide-eyed shock as Oars' arm actually stretches out to strike what remains of the bridge. "It stretched. That's more like it. Everything feels right now." Nami's screams reach their ears, and they look up. Although she's screaming, Robin's arms are holding tight to her and lowering her to the ground. They quickly gather in front of Robin, Nami and Brook, ready for anything.

"That's impossible. How...?"

"There's only one Rubber Man in the whole world!" asserts Sanji. "How could he stretch his arm?!"

"Gum-Gum...Whip!" Oars screams, seconds before a massive foot sweeps towards them. They barely dodge they attack, confused about how exactly he's stretching his body despite the impossibility of it all.

"Damn it! It's like fighting a massive Luffy!" Oars jumps skyward seconds later.

"Gum-Gum...Bell!" His giant head comes stretching down, nearly crushing them a second time. "Now that my body can stretch I feel like I'm in the groove! Gum-Gum...Spear!" They impact from the attack sends all of them recoiling, avoiding his massive feet and the resulting chunks of concrete.

"It's like he's eaten the Gum-Gum Fruit," Run mutters. "There's no way this isn't one of Moria's tricks!"

"Good guess, red hair," retorts Moria. "I'm making you live this nightmare with my Shadow-Shadow Fruit power Shadow Revolution!" Moria goes on to clarify that the power works by exploiting just how shadows work. A shadow will always copy whatever a body does. They're a mirror image of one another, and it's an iron-clad rule. But his power works by changing the shape of Oars' shadow, thus forcing the body to move, and contort itself in a manner similar. As if to demonstrate this power again, he forces Oars to contort himself into a giant ball...which them promptly begins rolling at them.

"...Retreat." They all turn, immediately, and begin running away from the massive 'ball' rolling at them. Fortunately, they only take a few steps before Oars stops.

"Oi, Master! Just a second here!" complains Oars. "This is my fight! Keep out of it!"

"My bad," replies Moria. "I got carried away. I'm just here to offer my assistance! Go on, Oars. Crush every one of them!"

"Can someone tell me where Luffy is?" Nami asks.

"He must have gotten tricked by Moria," Usopp tells her.

"Damn, he's such an idiot some times! Does this mean everyone isn't going to get their shadows back unless we beat both Oars and Moria?"

"Seems that way." Nami complains about the lack of time, which launches a small argument between her and Usopp.

"Excuse me!" Brook calls. "Please...I have a request! Please grant it for me!" Brooks request is...a strange one. But it might work. He wants Nami to use her Clima-Takt to electrify himself, Usopp's giant sling-shot to fire himself like a bolt at Oars, and Robin's Devil Fruit powers to impart spin. Without a better plan, they agree. If they can disable his other arm, after all, then they'll have one less thing to worry about! It takes only seconds to get everything set up. "Thank you for agreeing to this!"

"This seems like a bad idea."

"Being unable to repay a debt is even worse!" Nami creates the thunder clouds, and Usopp fires Brook off. Just like a bolt of lightning he goes sailing through the sky towards Oars. "Yohohoh~! The electricity is so strong you can see my bones! Ah, but I was bones to begin with! Yohoho~! Lightning Bone Sword...Gavotte Bond en Avant!" He pierces the through the red giant's left shoulder...and slams into a wall behind him, where he embeds himself.

"Well done, bones!" calls Zoro, rushing forward. "Two Sword Style...Nigiri...Tower Climb!" Oars recoils from the upward slashes.

"Why, you," begins Oars. "No...I'm going to finish the skeleton first!" Oars turns to Brook. "Gum-Gum...Battle Axe!" His foot smashes down on the wall Brook has embedded in, and demolishes it completely. Usopp digs into his bag quickly, and then loads his sling shot.

"Special Attack!" Usopp screams. "Atlas Comet!" Oars shields himself from the attack with his arm, and then turns his attention squarely on Usopp. Nami immediately runs out of the line of fire, leaving their sniper standing all alone.

"You're next, long nose!" He raises his unhurt arm. "Gum-Gum...Pistol!" Rather than stretch, however, his arm remains completely normal. "H-Huh? My arm isn't stretching? Why not?"

"Ochenta Fleurs Cuatro Mano," Robin calmly states. Looking inside the 'cock-pit' in Oars stomach, they can see Robin's arms have grasped Moria in a choke-hold. "Could you stop manipulating his shadow for the time being? Hold!" They can see the veins on Moria's face and neck begin to bulge as the grip tightens.

"Do you think this will keep me out of the fight?" Moria questions. "Don't make me laugh, woman. Brick Bat." Moria's shadow grows out of Oars, and then begins to break apart into several ball shaped bats that barrel towards Robin rapidly. Unfortunately for Moria, they never reach their intended target. Run appears between them in an instant, saber held at the ready.

"Ain't happenin'," mutters Run. "Churning Tide." He cuts the first three into pieces...and again, the slashes seem to roll forward. They scar the ground, cleaving through stone, rubble and shadow. They're all blown away with the howl of wind and bite of steel. Rather than be irritated, Moria only laughs in response. The red head's brow furrows in response, and he raises his saber to rest on his shoulder. "What are you laughing at you-"

"Robin! Behind you!" screams Sanji. Run turns quickly, and growls when he finds Moria's shadow growing out of the ground behind Robin.

"Now," begins Moria. "Let's see which of us is a more powerful long-distance power-holder!"

"Cuatro Mano!" shouts Robin. "Clutch!" There's a loud 'snap!' followed by an even louder scream. Run smirks, still watching the shadow...but it soon fades as he continues staring at the shadow. It begins laughing in the same, now irritating, manner as it's master.

"That was a close one! You almost had me! But Doppleman and I can switch places at any time! It's the shadow that was here until just a second ago...but unfortunately for you, he has no bones to break or joints to dislocate!" Moria reaches down before they can react, and grabs Robin's shadow. He stretches it up while at the same time producing a huge pair of scissors, and then promptly cuts her shadow from her. She pitches backwards, and Run catches her with his free hand before she strikes the ground. "I don't have anything to put it in...but I guess I'll take it anyway! It could prove to be useful later."

"You bastard!" growls Sanji, spinning rapidly. When he's finished, his left leg his glowing as if it's on fire from the knee down. "Diable Jambe!" He rushes the Shichibukai quickly, and leaps up to kick him in the face. "Give Robin's shadow back! Extra Hache!"

"Brick Bat!" The huge Shichibukai breaks apart into a great number of bats. Only his head remains in place, laughing while Sanji is swarmed by the bats. Run appears in front of the floating head in an instant, saber at the ready. Moria's eyes widen in response, even as he begins to disappear and the saber descends. The final bat disappears just moments before his blade passes through and the red head lands. Sanji spins violently within the swarm of bats, scattering them all quickly and appearing realatively unharmed. Moria's laughter reaches their ears, echoing out of Oars' stomach.

"Damn it...that bastard switched places."

"Kishishishi! That was a close one, red hair! You almost got to me!" Run slowly glances over his shoulder, glaring fiercely at the Shichibukai. "Oh? That's a good look in your eyes! Was that woman someone important to you, by any chance? Kishishishi!"

"Sanji, get Robin to safety," Run tells their cook.

"Why, you," begins Sanji, only to stop with a snort. "I'm only doing this because Robin's safety comes first! NOT because you ordered me to!" He moves to her side, and picks her up before taking off sprinting.

"Oi, oi, master!" complains Oars, bending to look into his stomach. "I told you this is my fight!"

"Sorry, sorry! I got a little carried away!" Oars looks up, eyes falling on Sanji, and an unconscious Robin immediately.

"I'm gonna finish that woman off first." Run turns to face the red giant, who raises his good arm.

"Sanji, move!" screams Run, rushing in his direction.

"Gum-Gum...Pistol!" Sanji look at the giant fist barreling towards him, and then turns his back towards it, attempting to shield Robin from it. He's struck in the side seconds later, and goes sliding across the ground. Run appears in his place in an instant, arms raised in front of him. He grits his teeth as he's struck full force by Oars' giant fist...

* * *

"...i...O...Oi...!" A voice echos, through the haze of pain that's fallen upon his mind. There's a sudden 'pop!' and it feels as if sound has returned. The shifting of stone, and panicked voices pierce his ears, and Run's eyes snap open. Zoro stands over him, a sword clutched in either hand. He looks like he's been put through the wringer. "Get up."

"Yeah...unh...yeah," groans Run, body throbbing in pain. If he hadn't shielded himself with Busoshoku Haki as the last second, he'd probably be worse off than he is. The red head groans loudly as he stands and cracks his back loudly as he stretches. "Aaah...that hurts." He looks around slowly, finding the two of them surrounded on all sides by a number of normal people...another pirate crew, to be specific. Among the people, however, Zoro and Run can see Luffy, and in front of him a ragged looking Oars. "Looks like we missed a good fight."

Suddenly, a number of the people around them turn to make an escape, but stop in place when they notice the two of them standing tall. "Wh-What the? How are you two standing?"

"I don't know what happened to Luffy but it looks like he delt plenty of damage," Zoro observes. Run nods in agreement, and glances down to his left. His saber has been stuck into the ground next to him, and he quickly frees it from the stone with a simple pull.

"O-Oi, you two will croak if you go running around in that condition!" A woman with a large sword on her back turns to look at the two of them with wide eyes.

"Y-You two can still stand after taking a hit from that monster?" questions the woman. "You two are nearly as immortal as a zombie!" The people around them seem to notice that other members of the crew that they've apparently moved seem to have vanished. They naturally assume that they've all run away, and get ready to do the same...at least until Luffy growls and pushes himself up off the ground.

"Damn it," groans Luffy. "L-Looks like...that didn't quite cut it! Just one more attack...Robin!"

"I'm here," replies Robin, stepping up behind Zoro and Run.

"I want up!"

"Very well. I'll provide some footing." Brook seems to come out of nowhere seconds later, offering assistance as well.

"Great! Brook, I have a favor to ask!"

"I thought as much," calls Nami, appearing on top of a large pile of rubble. "Everyone has taken positions to provide support!" The people around them seem to be amazed with their tenacity. They never imagined that they wouldn't even consider running away. Brook sprints forward, grabs Luffy, and tosses him over a shoulder.

"Everyone, get out of our way!" commands Run, his voice accompanied by a burst of Haoshoku Haki. They all beat feet in the opposite direction as a result, going for the nearest hiding place...whether out of fear or understanding, it doesn't matter much to the red head. Robin crosses her arms calmly.

"Pierna Fleurs!" says Robin. Legs sprout from the wall beside Oars, and Brook goes jumping up them quickly, heading for the top of the mast it seems.

"Eh? Where are you going?" Oars questions, looking up at them. Cloud begin forming around the red giant seconds later, and he looks around in confusion.

"It's calling for rain!" Nami announces. "Cool Ball! Rain Tempo!" The clouds immediately begin pour rain, soaking Oars from head to toe. They've barely finished gushing their rain before the wall beside Oars explodes at the base, and frigid air brusts out. It freezes the red giant from the waist down instantly, rooting him to the ground. Oars doesn't even get time to struggle before the rudder chain comes sweeping around, and binds around his chest, holding him tight.

"Zoro! Run!" bellows a voice from above, attracting their attention. Luffy is flying down, his fists swelled up to the size of Oars. "Push in his stomach!" Both of them nod in understanding, and Zoro raises his third blade to bite down. He begins rapidly spinning his sword around while holds his saber out in front of him, eyes closed.

"Three-Sword Style...Secret Technique..."

"Churning..."

Both swordsmen disappear as if they had never been there, only to appear in front of the red giant.

"...Three Thousand Worlds!"

"...Tide!"

In an instant, it looks as though Oars' stomach has been completely carved opened, blood spraying in all directions even as they pass. Oars' head is yanked back, straightening his spine and forcing him to look straight up towards the sky and the incoming Luffy.

"Eat my extra large bazooka!" screams Luffy. "Gum-Gum...Giant...Bazooka!" Oars takes the attack head on, accompanied by the crunching of bone and snapping of sinew. He topples back, head deformed, and to the applause and the people gathered. They all celebrate at having felled Oars...but it isn't the time to be celebrating. Usopp comes running out of the barely standing remains of the tower.

"Oi, oi!" screams Usopp. "Now isn't the time to be partying! The sun is beginning to rise! We need to get the shadows back! All of you are toast without them!"

"You're right!" agrees the same woman from earlier. "We need to go smack Moria awake and get him to order our shadows back!"

"I...I don't...need a wake up call!" screams Moria, surprising all of them. Standing on top of the giant's corpse, Moria steadies himself before glaring down at all of them.

"I...If you're awake, that works just fine! If you don't want Straw Hat to kick your butt again, give us our shadows back!"

"Kishishishi! Do you think this is a school yard brawl? Even the threat of death is meaningless to a true pirate! I've solved the mystery behind Straw Hat's power up if you whipped dogs from the forest were involved! How vile to use my own abilities against me!"

"Shove it! Give our shadows back!"

"Straw Hat...how dare you trash my Thriller Bark!"

"That's what you get for interfering with our voyage!" retorts Luffy. "Now, give us our shadows back before the sun rises!"

"Do you honestly believe you're that strong? You lot would all have died if you'd continued your journey! You have a pretty decent crew...but you'd have lost them all! Do you know how I know?" The complaints of all those around them fall of deaf ears. "Because I found the answer through personal experience! Why did I lose such infamous and powerful subordinates? Because they were alive!" Moria's power suddenly surges out in all directions, and Run disappears quickly, reappearing and disappearing several times to avoid it as the Shichibukai's seizes every shadow remaining on the island. "Come to me, shadows of Thriller Bark! Become my power...Shadows Asgard!"

"Damn it," complains Run, slashing at one of the dark tendrils, and disappearing with Shave again. "He's absorbing every shadow in this place!"

"I'd say you took in about one hundred shadows! In that case I'll absorb..." They watch as Moria grows, and grows and grows until he's nearly as big as Oars. "...one-thousand shadows!" They stare at Moria in shock for several long moments before he suddenly slams himself down towards them, attempting to crush them. It's such a powerful strike that it actually cracks the ground under their feet, and causes the collasp of the building nearby, nearly bringing the mast with it. Nearly everyone gathered before scatters, leaving all of the Straw Hat crew to face Moria.

"Looks like he's going berserk," mutters Zoro.

"He can't control it," Run adds, staring at the giant Moria. "Too many shadows, not enough will to subjugate them."

"Looks like anger and pride made him over-estimate himself," Robin agrees. Luffy steps forward, squaring off with Moria.

"Oi, everyone," begins Luffy. "It looks like we're out of time...so I'm gonna push myself a little. Please take care of things after that." They all voice their agreement, while at the same time listening to complaints from those who have stuck around.

"If yer here to watch, then just shut yer trap!" retorts Zoro. "We've already beaten Moria...all that's left is to finish it before sunrise. He's planning to use that power of his to buy himself some time." Luffy crouches down, and begins pumping himself up.

"Second...Gear!" Moria makes his move seconds later, attempting to squash Luffy. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the speed to keep up with Luffy. He dodges this way and that before grasping tight to Moria's belt. "Gum-Gum...Jet Rocket!" He smashes himself into Moria's inflated gut, forcing him back and causing him to vomit up a number of shadows. "Gum-Gum...Jet Bazooka!" Another attack smashes into Moria's stomach, forcing more shadows out. "Jet Bazooka! Jet Bazooka! Jet...Bazooka!" Luffy lands on the wall beside him. "Gum-Gum...!"

"Brick Bat!" shouts Moria, surrounding their Captain with a number of his shadows. They quickly form a box around Luffy before slamming shut. "Black Box! Now...I'm gonna crush you!" He smashes his fist into the black box of shadows, pulverizing the wall. It falls to the ground in a sea of rubble, and Moria promptly stomps on it. "Take that! This is what happens when a whippersnapper tries to act like a big shot on these waters!" Moria stomps on it again and again. "This is what you get for defying the Shichibukai!"

When he finally stops they stare at the flattened box in silence, waiting for any sign from Luffy...and their Captain doesn't disappoint! The box bursts open violently, revealing an unharmed Luffy.

"...'Whippersnapper'?" echos Luffy. "Things like that don't matter! No one...can...crush me!"

"No one can crush you?" pants Moria. "Your ability to say that without justification...proves just how green you are!"

"It's because I'm rubber." His simple retort seems to infuriate the Shichibukai to no end. "In just a second, I'm going to make you spew out all those shadows!" The sun begins to peek over the buildings around them...they're running out of time! Luffy raises his hand and bites down on his thumb. "Third...Gear!" He inflates his fist just like before. "Bone Balloon!"

"Luffy!" screams Chopper. "Think about this! Your body can't handle this technique more than a few times!"

"Gum-Gum...Giant Jet Shell!" He strikes Moria in the stomach again, and again more shadows begin to escape from his mouth. The Shichibukai clamps a hand over his mouth in an attempt to stop the shadows from escaping. He has no intention of turning them loose. Seeing the Shichibukai struggling to bring all of them under control, those brave enough to remain behind begin screaming for their shadows, begging them to abandon Moria and return to them. "If...we're talking to our shadows...then I have something to say, too! If you want to be...King of the Pirates...then you had better come back!" Luffy launches himself at Moria again, striking the same spot as before.

Moria stumbles back, and strikes the mast behind him. It snaps under the impact, and collapses on top of the Shichibukai, forcing the shadows out of him in one big gush. The mast splits apart seconds later, exposing all of them to the rising sun...and setting them ablaze. "N-No!" demands Usopp. "Guys, no! Run! Do something! U-Use that speed thing!"

"I...I can't!" Run stutters. "I can't get everyone at once! I'm not faster than light, Usopp!" They watch, helpless, as Luffy, Robin, Sanji and Zoro catch flames...and then suddenly extinguish themselves. As if nothing has happened, they appear before them whole and hearty. Zoro laughs loudly, rolling his shoulders.

"I'm very much alive, aren't I?" laughs Zoro.

"My, for a second I thought I'd gone to heaven," adds Robin.

"That sounds good to me!" gushes Sanji. "If we can go together, I'd love to go to heaven!" Usopp shouts at the three of them for being so nonchalant about the whole thing while Nami and Chopper slump down in exhaustion. Run breathes a heavy sigh and scrubs a hand through his now blood matted and choppy hair. They all relax, taking a seat among the destruction around them. Run sits on a large chunk of stone beside Robin, his saber leaning against his knee.

"Haaah...what an ordeal," complains Run. "But it looks like everyone is alright." He spares a brief glance towards a drained Luffy. "More or less."

"We nearly ceased to exist with the morning light hit us," Robin says. "But our bodies were fully restored when our shadows returned."

"It probably works along the same lines as Moria's manipulation of a shadows form," Sanji asserts. "The body has to match the shadow's form no matter what."

"Who cares," grunts Zoro. "This is the only time we're going to have the fun of losing our shadows."

"Man, I'm wiped," drawls Franky, reclining against a large stone. "Is there any cola around?"

"It kind of feels like waking up from a nightmare," muses Sanji. "Just like that, everything vanishes in the morning." They sit in silence for several minutes before Run suddenly stands, and approaches a prone Luffy. Chopper sits beside their Captain, looking over him.

"Is he going to be alright?" Run asks Chopper.

"He's...placed a large strain on himself," Chopper replies. "Every time he uses that giant gear thing of his, it puts an enormous stress on his body. I'm worried...worried that he's pushing himself too much." Chopper looks back at the red head. "And, you, too. How many times did you get hit by Oars? You need to let me examine you when we get back." The same crew from before suddenly swarms the area, offering their heart-felt thanks for recovering their shadows. Nami suddenly gasps loudly, and they all look over quickly.

"Th-There's something I forgot!" Nami says quickly, ignoring the people gathered. "It's not just Moria here! There's another Shichibukai on this i..." She trails off, staring above their heads at the remains of the mast. All heads turn to look, and find a huge man, and a much smaller woman in a Navy coat. "That's...them." They seem to be in the middle of a conversation over a transponder snail. The voice on the other side is concerned over the loss of another Shichibukai...so much so, that he orders the information to be kept secret.

"T-That man," begins the pink-haired woman that they'd heard called 'Lola' by her crew. "I recognize him. Nearly as large as Moria...the pirate called 'Tyrant'. Bartholomew Kuma!"

"You two, you understand what I'm saying, right?" questions the voice on the transponder. "No witnesses. No one can testify to Moria's defeat at the hands of Straw Hat. Accordingly, your missing is as follows: eliminate everyone on that island, including the Straw Hat crew."

"Easy enough," replies Kuma, gently tucking the transponder away. Run's jaw tightens as the Shichibukai finally turns his gaze down on them, and he picks up his saber. The 'clack' of his geta across stone might as well be gunshots in the following silence, as he paces towards the two.

"Zoro," begins Run, slowly drawing his saber. "Get everyone back to the Sunny."

"Run, be careful!" calls Nami. "He uses some kind of strange power. I saw someone vanished when he touched her with his hand!"

"And the woman?"

"I don't know. I didn't see her before." Run has only blinked and the large man is gone. Hearing screams from behind he whirls around quickly just in time to watch Kuma send several of Lola's men scattering with a simple wave of his hand. As quickly as he appears he's gone again, and the red head stiffens immediately when a shadow falls over him.

"'Red' Run," speaks Kuma from behind. Run takes a deep breath, and exhales slowly before turning to face the large man. "First Mate of the Straw Hat Crew...I'll begin with you..."


	43. Bargin With A Tyrant!

"'Red Run," speaks Kuma, staring down at the red head. "First Mate of the Straw Hat Crew...I'll begin with you." Run raises his saber, resting the back of the long blade on his shoulder as he stares up at the Shichibukai. He glances over his shoulder briefly at the others before looking back to Kuma.

"If that's the case," begins Run, calmly tapping the weapon against his shoulder. "Mind if we take this somewhere else, then? I don't want anyone else interfering in our fight, Kuma." He looks away from the red head towards the rest of the crew before looking back.

"A pointless suggestion. Regardless of where our battle is fought, the outcome will be the same. The death of the Straw Hat Crew, and all witnesses here on Thriller Bark. Those are the orders I have been given...and you have only yourselves to blame. You, and your crew, have earned quite a reputation. It's been said that Straw Hat Luffy has gathered a number of skilled subordinates on his ship." Everyone but Zoro, Robin, Brook and Run seem to be flattered by his statement...regardless of the situation. "You've stirred up trouble in multiple places. Yet, your Captain is not the only one who has made a name for himself."

"Haaah...just following orders, huh. I really can't understand you Shichibukai."

"O-Oi! Wait, Run!" screams Usopp. "This is crazy! You're not in any shape to be fighting! You're already battered and bruised clear to the bone!"

"There's no rest for the wicked, Usopp." Run leans forward slightly, grip tightening on the hilt of his saber. "Surging Tide." Both Kuma and Run disappear before their eyes only to reappear several meters away, still standing across from one another. There's a loud 'whoosh!' seconds later, and the ground behind the two is split open by a myriad of deep cuts. The large Shichibukai holds his palm over the red head, staring down at him. It hums loudly, signaling one of those strange attacks of his. "Shave!" His figure blurs seconds before his attack strikes the ground, gouging it deeper than Run's slashes in a strange paw pattern. "What was-"

Kuma thrusts his palm in the red head's direction, and his attack barrels in his direction. It smashes through several layers of stone before finally exploding into a wall several meters away from them. Run stands beside the resulting hole in the debris, his shoulder turned as if he's only just barely dodged it. Run exhales slowly, and glances down at his shirt, the front of which has a clean cut through it. "Just what technique is he using?! He actually cut Run with a palm thrust?!"

"What's that weird mark he keeps leaving on everything?!" Nami demands. "What's going on?" Kuma holds his hand up, showing his palm to all of them, and the strange paw pads covering it. Everyone is completely confused as to what exactly an animals paw pad is doing on a person's hand.

"Red Line Strike!" announces Run, swinging his saber in Kuma's direction. The Busoshoku infused attack, races through the air towards the Shichibukai, who casually raises a hand, and deflects it like batting away a fly. It sails in the direction of those gathered around, and strikes the ground among them. A resounding 'boom!' echos as though near-by are sent flying away in a storm of dust and debris.

"H...He deflected Run's attack!" cries Chopper. "Is that even possible?"

"So that's it. That's what your power is."

"I have the power to repel many things," Kuma begins. "I am a paw-paw man, having eaten the Paw-Paw Fruit." Nami and Usopp wonder if perhaps there are soothing-types of Devil Fruit's out there. After all, it doesn't sound like a very threatening Devil Fruit.

"Perhaps he's more of a purr-lord than a warlord," mutters Franky. "Maybe he's not even that big of a deal." The Shichibukai points his hand at Franky, and fires one of his attacks. It strikes Franky in the chest, pierces through and explodes into the ground behind him. He goes flying with it, striking the ground several feet away.

"'Cyborg' Franky, is that the extent of your strength?"

"Franky got...sent flying from the front?" Usopp questions.

"He must be repelling air," reasons Robin. "Even if Franky was struck by a normal cannon it wouldn't hurt him."

"It is called 'Pad Cannon'," Kuma explains. "When air is repelled at the speed of light it creates a shock-wave that is capable of shooting through people." Kuma turns to face Run once again. "Your time is now up." Kuma raises both hands in his direction. "Thrust Pad Cannon!" His hands move in a blur, sending what seems to be a stream of his attacks towards Run. The red head disappears, and reappears again and again. Each time he gets a bit closer to Kuma, until finally he appears in front of him.

"Churning-" Run begins his swing towards the Shichibukai, who suddenly appears in front of the red head. His saber makes contact with Kuma's paw-pads, and he's blasted back instantly. Run twists in air to land on his feet, and slides across the ground. "Damn it! Just how irritating can you-"

"Run! Behind you!" screams Robin. The red head looks back quickly, finding Kuma standing over him with his palm held out. " **RUN**!"

"That's as far as you go!" growl Sanji and Zoro, rushing to Run's aid. Sanji goes high, leaping into the air and kicking the Shichibukai in his face, while Zoro goes low swords slashing across his stomach. Rather that buckle under their combined assault, the only one who falls is Sanji. He cries out loudly, holding tight to his leg. Zoro looks at his blades, holding them out in front of him in disbelief.

"'Pirate Hunter' Zoro...'Black Foot' Sanji," drawls Kuma, rubbing his chin. "So, that would be the two of you."

"Why is his body so hard?!" exclaims Sanji. "Is he made of iron?!"

"F-Firebird Star!" calls Usopp, firing a flaming pellet at Kuma. The Shichibukai turns to look at the approaching bird of flames.

"'King of Snipers' Usopp," speaks Kuma. "What a presumptuous title." He raises his hand, and sends the flames barreling back at Usopp. Nami and Chopper scramble away from their sniper as he's engulfed by the flames of his own attack. When they settle, it reveals a charred Usopp who briefly spits out a small puff of smoke before dropping to a knee. Kuma turns his attention back to Sanji, Zoro and Run, staring down pointedly at the red head. "It's as I feared...I won't derive any pleasure from killing you while in your weakened state."

"Weakened?" Run grunts out. "Afraid not...I'm just getting warmed up, Kuma."

"Unlikely. The Government has ordered me to annihilate everyone present, however..." Kuma raises his hands skyward, and they watch as he begins compressing the air above his head. What begins as a huge pocket of air shaped like a paw-pad, slowly begins to shrink.

"This isn't good," Robin mutters. "When all of that air depressurizes, it'll generate a huge amount of power. The sonic blast it creates will be just like a bomb." When the Shichibukai has finished compressing the air, it's small enough that he can cup it in his palms.

"I will spare your lives...in exchange, all you need to do is hand over the head of Straw Hat Luffy. As long as I return with his head, the World Government will not complain. Now, then...give me Straw Hat Luffy." The response is a resounding 'No!', shouted at the top of everyone's lungs. "What a pity." Kuma holds his hands out, and releases the ball of compressed air. It floats away from him towards the others, slowly expanding. "Ursus...Shock...!" Kuma stands, unmoving through the resulting explosion, that levels what little bit is left standing in the area.

When everything settles, only the Shichibukai is left standing in the same place. There's a soft rustle, and Kuma glances down quickly to find Vice Admiral Rena standing beside him. "Haaah...what a mess," complains Rena, slowly scanning the destruction. "Let's find Straw Hat." They calmly walk forward, stepping over rubble and pirates alike until finally stopping in front of their target. Kuma tosses aside a large chunk of stone easily while the woman bends down, reaching for Luffy's throat. Her finger's barely gaze the skin of his exposed throat before she suddenly jerks up, hands reaching out. There's a resounding 'smack!' as she catches the blade of a saber.

Run stands in front of her clothes in ruins, covered in scrapes and bruises, and bleeding from several fresh cuts. Surprise briefly flickers across his face before being replaced by a scowl. "Damn you," Run growls, pressing his saber forward against the unyielding woman.

"You're tougher than I thought." She twists the blade down, and then surprises him by back-handing him across the jaw. The red head is tossed several meters away, landing flat on his back and eventually sliding to a stop. Rena calmly tosses his saber aside, and her Navy coat follows it seconds later. "Kuma, take care of-"

"Lion Strike!" exclaims a voice. She glances over her shoulder, finding the Shichibukai with his shoulder laid wide open. Behind him, Zoro is kneeling, gripping the tsuka of two of his swords. A sigh escapes her as she flicks her gaze down to Luffy. After a moment, she turns back towards the red head. Run has rolled onto his stomach, and is slowly pushing himself up. The swordsman glances over his shoulder at the large Shichibukai, his eyes going wide as he stares at the cut. "What...in the hell are you?" Wires, and metal peek through flesh and cloth, sparking and steaming. "Are you a cyborg like Franky?" Kuma turns to face him now. "No, you're stronger than tempered steel."

Kuma opens his mouth, a bright light gathering within as he stares at Zoro. He dodges out of the way immediately, barely avoiding some sort of energy beam directed at him. Completely pulverizes stone, and even melts several steel I-beams among the concrete.

"A Cyborg," begins Kuma. "Although an accurate description, I am nothing like Cyborg Franky. I am the Government's incomplete weapon known as a 'Pacifista'. My developer is the governments genius scientist known as Dr. Vegapunk. He's the most brilliant man in the world. It's said his scientific knowledge is 500 years ahead of the rest of mankind." There's a loud 'smack!' and a stiffled grunt seconds before Run comes crashing down between the two, sliding across the ground on his back. He casts his legs skyward, and rolls over back onto his feet before stopping beside Zoro.

He spits out a mouthful of blood before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Aah...damn it," groans Run, breathing heavily. Rena calmly walks up beside Kuma, not a single hair out of place or scratch on her. "Zoro...I hate to say this but...I don't think I've got much more left in me. I'm gonna make a play...whatever happens, Zoro, just stay quiet." Run takes a deep breath, and groans loudly as he forces himself to his feet. "Oi, Kuma...are you absolutely...intent on taking Luffy's head?"

"That is the most I can compromise."

"If it's a head you need...then take mine." The red head turns to look up at him. "My bounty is a bit smaller than his...but...but I'm Shanks' son. My plan is to surpass the old man one day. The rise of a pirate strong enough to stand among the Yonko would be quite a thing, right? If we're talking about a trade, that makes it more than fair. The head of a Yonko's child in exchange for sparing his life. Even the World Government wouldn't bat an eyelash at a trade like that, I'd wager."

"Are you truly willing to die for this man when you harbor such an ambition? What would your father say?"

"If it means protecting the crew...protecting my friends...then I'm sure the old man would understand. Luffy _will_ become the King of the Pirates!"

"Wait right there, idiot!" calls a familiar voice. Zoro and Run both look in the direction of the voice, and find Sanji stumbling in their direction. "What good is gonna come from your death? What happened to your ambitions, dumbass? And how can you just go along with this, moss head?" He walks around to stand in front of the two, facing Kuma and Rena. "Oi, Colossus! Instead of taking that dumbass red hair's life, take mine instead! The Marines don't think much of me, but before long, I'll be the most dangerous member of the crew! I'm Black Foot Sanji! Now, kill me! Don't take his life, take mine! I've always been prepared to sacrifice my life for them...this is where I'll die gloriously!" He's silent for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Oi...please give my regards to the others. Sorry, but you'll have to look for another cook."

"Damn cook," Run grunts, moving behind him. He grabs Sanji's shoulder, turns him and drives a knee into his stomach hard enough to drop him to his knees. Sanji grabs the red head by what little bit remains of his shirt, attempting to stay up.

"Why, you...!" Run grabs him by the front of his jacket, and tosses him back to Zoro where he lies still.

"Now that that's taken care of..." Run takes a calm breath. "...let's get on with it, Kuma." The giant stares down at him in silence for several tense moments before sighing heavily.

"If I harm Straw Hat now, I will only shame myself," Kuma tells them.

"Haaah...I owe you." Kuma turns, and reaches down to Luffy.

"Trust me not to harm him. I am a man of my word." He picks up their unconscious Captain. "In exchange, I will...show you Hell." Kuma presses a hand against Luffy, and Run watches as a huge red palm print is pressed out of his back. "What was just expelled is all his pain, and fatigue. This is all the damage that he accumulated during his battle with Moria. If you want to take his place, then take all of his pain and suffering unto yourself. Standing at death's doorstep, as you already are, it will be impossible for you to survive. Have a small taste." Kuma brushes his hand along the side of it, and sends a small bubble towards Run. It enters his chest, and pain unlike any he has felt radiates through his body.

A ragged scream tears out of his throat as his nerves are set on fire from pain, and he pitches forward. However, rather than fall he braces himself at the last moment, spitting out a small mouthful of blood with a grunt before taking a deep breath.

"Well?"

"N...Not here," grunts Run, blood-shot eyes turning towards the Shichibukai. "Somewhere...Somewhere else." With a nod Kuma, lifts the bubble and casually strolls away with Rena and Run following. "Stay here, Zoro." The three walk quite far from the others before Kuma sets down the bubble of Luffy's pain and fatigue. The Shichibukai then, turns and calmly walks away leaving only Run and Rena standing there. "Standing by...to collect my head, huh?" The woman remains silent for several moments before walking forward. She stops beside him, and quick as a flash reaches out to capture his right wrist. "You-" She twists it up, and then yanks hard, pulling her to him and actually embracing him, arms pinned against his sides.

"Don't die, Run," whispers Rena, before shoving him back and then turning on her heel. She disappears before he can speak out, leaving him standing alone. Run looks at the paper for a moment before folding it and tucking it into his back pocket. He turns his attention to the ball of pain and fatigue...and then surges forward, shoving his arms all the way up to the shoulders into it...

Shouting voices echo across Thriller Bark, as those knocked unconscious by Kuma's blast finally come to. Relief tints the voices of everyone present, glad that they seem to have 'tricked' Kuma into believing their were all dead after his attack. Laughter sounds as well, when Luffy comes to, hopping up and down as if he hasn't a care in the world. "Oi, oi! Look, look!" laughs Luffy. "My body feels so light! Why is that?" The others are rather skeptical of this to say the least, especially considering how banged up he was before.

The last one to come to his Sanji, who pushes himself up quickly when his eyes open. He scans their surroundings rapidly, finding no sign of Zoro or Run. He stands and takes off sprinting immediately, looking around for any sign of the two of them. "There's no way," growls Sanji. "There's no way that everyone pulled through this alright! Where are those dumbasses?!" Out of the corner of his eye, he spots the two of them standing silently among some debris. "There! Damn it! You two idiots scared me! Where did that Shichibukai get off...to?" Blood streams from the red head, dripping down to the ground below. "Where did all this blood come from?! Oi! Is he alive?! What happened?!"

Sanji looks towards Zoro quickly, who stands beside the red head. "He's fine," Zoro assures Sanji.

"N...Nothing...happened," Run grunts...

* * *

Zoro and Sanji help move Run back to the others where Chopper nearly has a heart-attack upon seeing his wounds. The red head passed out before his treatment had even been completed. Everyone else wasn't far behind, falling asleep and staying asleep through the whole day and following night. Despite Sanji's attempt to question Zoro about what happened, he instead remains completely silence, sitting at the red head's side with Robin. When noon rolls around the next day, they decide that it time to have a big feast! They've defeated Moria, recovered their shadows and even escaped Tyrant Kuma!

Luckily, not only has their stolen food been recovered, but someone even added MORE food to the panty, and even treasure! It seems there are some nice people in the world! So, they gather what they need from the ship and head back to the same court-yard where everyone is sleeping. "Oi!" screams Luffy, carrying a huge sack of food over his head. "We brought food!" Those members of Lola's pirate crew, wake up immediately. "Is Run awake, yet?"

"He needs absolute rest!" calls back one of them. "So, he's sleeping in the mansion." Luffy nods in understanding, and heads for the mansion with Franky following. Run is lying on a soft bed, covered in bandages. Chopper stands on the bed beside him while Robin sits on his opposite side, gently holding one of his hands. Zoro is standing silently at the foot of the bed, arms crossed. Both of the red head's swords lean against the mattress in front of him, and Zoro stands there as if guarding Run, and his swords.

"Oi, Chopper," speaks Franky. "We brought what you asked for."

"Thank you," replies Chopper.

"How is he?" Luffy questions their doctor. Chopper looks back at Run slowly.

"I've never seen Run so badly hurt. Normally, he uses Haki to shield himself from as damage...but whatever happened must have overwhelmed his ability. It nearly cost him his life." Robin gently squeezes Run's hand as she stares at his sleeping face.

"I agree," Robin says. "I doubt that man simply left...and Luffy has been bursting with energy ever since then."

"Yeah!" chirps Luffy. "I wonder what's up with that?"

"To be honest, I saw what happened," speaks one of the 'risky brothers' as they've heard them called.

"I saw what happened from beginning to the end," adds the other. Before they can spill the beans, however, Zoro promptly turns and grabs the two of them. He drags them out of the room with Sanji tailing them. Zoro drags the two of them far away from the others before stopping. "What's wrong? Don't you want us to tell them?"

"No," Zoro retorts. "Not a single word, especially not to Luffy."

"Not so fast," Sanji says. "I want to know what happened. Tell me what happened after I blacked out." The risky brothers explain everything that they saw, not sparing a single detail. When they're finished, they naturally want to tell everyone what happened. "Hold it!" Sanji stops the two of them as they start to run off towards the others. "You're not going to tell anyone. Do you think he did it just to earn the gratitude of everyone? How do you think the rest of the crew would feel? Especially Luffy? How do you think he'd feel finding out his oldest friend almost died for him? So, you're not going to tell anyone."

After a few tense moments they both nod in understanding. "Alright," agrees the taller of the two. "But...I do have a question. What he said before...is he really...Red Hair's son?"

"Yeah. But that's a secret, too. Don't say a word about THAT, either." Sanji and Zoro turn and head back towards the others...none of them notice the ear that disappears from the backs of both risky brothers. Inside, Robin squeezes Run's hand a bit tighter. All of Luffy's pain and fatigue...he'd absorbed it all for the sake of having Kuma spare his life. Even though she's aware of it now, no one else is...and so the party starts in earnest as soon as Sanji has finished his cooking. Everyone stuffs themselves as if they haven't eaten in years, all of them enjoying the delicious food made by their cook.

Run sleeps soundly, even through all the noise. Chopper, Robin and Nami watch as Luffy comes stomping over in their direction, carrying a huge barrel. "Oi, Chopper!" calls Luffy. "This is for Run! It's his favorite! Sake straight from Rice Village!" He lifts it up quickly. "Here you go! Now, drink up!" Nami smacks him in the back of the head immediately while Robin giggles.

"Like hell!" shouts Nami.

"Why not?! This will fix Run right up, since it's his favorite!"

"Why type of treatment is that?!" demands Chopper. "You can't give a sick person alcohol!"

"Really? Then what about meat?"

"L-Look, the sentiment is more than enough." Music begins echoing through the room moments later, attracting their attention. Brook sits in front of a piano, playing a tune that Robin and Luffy both recognize right away. Brook begins singing 'Binks Sake' along with his playing, and Robin smiles.

"Binks Sake," murmurs Robin, looking down at Run. "This takes me back." Shanks, Run and the whole crew sang it all the time when they partied...it's a song engraved in her heart and mind so deeply it will never leave. They were singing it the first time she met them, and every time after that. The red head is sleeping soundly, his breathing deep and even despite all the noise. The party goes on through the night, with Luffy again inviting Brook to join the crew. However, he still has reservations...he has to return to Laboon after all.

Luffy puts his fears to rest when he assures Brook that Laboon is still waiting, happy and healthy for his return. Although, it shouldn't be physically possible for a skeleton to cry...Brook manages to do just that. When he's finished, he agrees to join the crew, pledging to work himself to the bone for the sake of Luffy and the crew. He even shares with them his wanted poster, revealing that he has a bounty of thirty-three million Beli. In the end, they party for two days straight, during which time Run finally wakes up.

With Run awake now, they decide it's time to set sail! They pack everything back up on the Sunny, and gather at the dock. "Alright!" Luffy shouts. "Now that Run is awake, let's hit the seas! Onward to Fishman Island!" Run scrubs a hand through his freshly cut hair, and smile as he watches Luffy jumping up and down.

"Nami did a good job," Robin tells him.

"That Zombie really did a number on it," Run replies, resting his right wrist on the hilt of his saber. "He didn't really leave her much to work with. I've always kept it short...if I let it get too long it starts to part like the old man's." Nami has shaped his choppy hair into a low fade, and evened up the top for him. He's changed clothes just like the others, opting for a navy blue cotton v-neck long sleeve shirt with a pair of black pants similar to his old style. Zoro goes striding past them, attracting the attention of Chopper, who immediately screams at him for removing his bandages.

"You seem really eager to set sail," Lola says. "Are you guys really leaving?"

"That is the plan," Franky tells her. "I fixed the rudder and sails, so it's ready to go!"

"You guys have been such a big help in so many ways. I owe you so much that I couldn't begin to thank you. I'd love to marry you!" Franky smirks in response, and runs a comb through his pompadour several times.

"You're a great catch but, unfortunately, I'm just too cool. It wouldn't work out." The risky brothers attempt to pursuade them to stay and party some more but Luffy is raring to go to Fishman Island. Sanji agrees, ready to 'frolic' with some beautiful mermaids. Brook, Sanji and one of the risky brothers are all over the moon at the mention of mermaids.

"Why do you guys know so much about Fishman Island?" Usopp questions.

"We passed through there on our way here about three years ago," Lola explains.

"Whoa, you went to the New World, Lola?" Nami asks her.

"I didn't go there, I was born there. My mama is a pirate. Oh! Right!" Lola reaches into her jacket and produces a slip of paper which she tears in half. She offers one half of it to Nami. "Here. This is my mama Vivre Card. You can have a piece."

"Ooh! You're so lucky!" exclaims the shorter risky brother. "Captain Lola's mama is an amazing pirate. You should take good care of that! It could come in handy!"

"What's a Vivre Card?" Nami questions.

"You don't know?" Lola replies.

"They're only avaible in the New World," Run retorts. "It may look like a normal sheet of paper but it's very special. It's water and fire proof, and even reflects the physical condition of the person in question. They're made by taking a few nail clippings to a shop and having them mix them in with special paper. If you then tear it in half and give it out to friends or family, you can always find them. Watch." Run takes the slip of paper from Nami and places it on the ground. It starts moving without delay, pulling itself across the dock slowly. "No matter where the person you give it to is, it will always pull in that direction."

Lola picks it up, and quickly signs the card. "I'll sign it for you. So if you ever run into trouble you can find my Mama, and she should help. If you see her let her know I'm doing well."

"It's like the piece that Ace gave to me, isn't it?" Luffy chirps. "And like the one you have, Run!" Luffy takes his hat off and digs the piece of paper out. When he shows it to them, Run's eyes go wide. Half of it is smoldering, and charred. "Wh-What is it? Whats wrong?"

"Is this person dear to you?"

"Yeah, he's my big brother!"

"Ace is in trouble, Luffy," Run says. Even though Run says this, Luffy doesn't react. Instead, he orders them to continue making ready. When they've finished, they raise anchor and set the sails to leave Thriller Bark. They all wave their good-byes to Lola and the other pirates. After they've left Thriller Bark and everyone far behind, Run finally catches up with Luffy, who is sitting on the upper deck of the Sunny. "Oi, Luffy."

"Hm? What?"

"Are you sure you don't want to go after Ace?"

"I'm sure he's fine. If he's really in trouble, I doubt he'd want us to worry about him. He hated it when I butted in when you two were fighting, remember?" Sanji leaves the kitchen with a tray of drinks, and after personally delivering one to both Robin and Nami, he throws the mugs to the others...ignoring whether or not they actually catch them. "He hates it when people see him looking weak. So, he'd probably just yell at us for butting in." Run nods in agreement and snatches the mug thrown at him out of the air. "Anyway...since you were asleep you never actually did this since you were asleep!"

"Then, I'll take it from the top!" Usopp calls. "Let's drink to our new crewmate, the muscian, Brook!"

" **CHEERS**...!"


	44. Red Line Ahead! Rescue 'Hatchin?

Surprise~! It's a quick post! I was going to hold onto this until next week but my impatience got the best of me it seems! As always, I hope all of you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it! Please, don't be afraid to let me know what you think~!

* * *

Several days have passed since they've left Thriller Bark and their new friends far behind. They've all been doing their own thing since then. Brook has been trying his best to earn the 'trust' of the others but more often than not it doesn't really seem to go as intending. Regardless, they all accept him as a member of the crew and one of their friends. Luffy, Chopper, Usopp and Brook currently sit along the railing of the Sunny doing their best to try and catch some fish but...they aren't really having any luck.

The rest of them are gathered around a small table set with a light lunch whipped up by Sanji. Luffy leans back on the railing, bending in a way completely unnatural for someone not made of rubber. "Aaah, Nami, when are we going to get there?" complains Luffy. "Are we close to Fishman Island yet?"

"Oh, give it a rest!" retorts Nami. "I'm sure we're getting close by now!" Run chuckles and lifts his cup of coffee to take a sip. Sanji suddenly breaks out into his own little dream world, imaging all the mermaids he's going to get to meet when they get there. Luffy tosses his fishing pole down and groans loudly.

"Sanji! I want food! I'm so tired of this!"

"Ohhh, look, look!" calls Usopp, pointing past the bow of the ship. "It's a huge school of fish!" Luffy immediately grabs his fishing pole again, and casts his line into the water. Nami stands from her spot at the table and walks over to where the four of them are to have a look. "Hm? What's wrong?" The fish blow past them, ignoring the bait in the water. "Nami! What's with that obviously foreboding look on your face?" Zoro and Run both turn their heads skyward, looking at the dark clouds gathering. The sea begins to churn and roil, rapidly swirling around and around again until multiple whirl-pools form around the ship, and huge spouts of water stretch skyward around them.

"Serpent Currents! Sanji!"

"Got it!" replies Sanji, dashing to the helm. He grabs the rudder wheel and attempts to turn it with all his might but it won't even budge. "It...It's not moving!" One of the water spouts lunges towards the ship, and Zoro reacts immediately. He cuts through it, completely dashing it before landing back on the deck of the Sunny in a spray of sea fall. Franky intercepts the next one, scattering with his 'Weapons Left'.

"Oi, cook!" growls Zoro. "What are you doing?! Do you mind getting us outta here?!" The next gout of water surges towards them, and Run intercepts it, scattering it with a blow from his saber. Luffy takes down the next and Brook the one after that. There seems to be no end to the currents attacking them, forcing them to defend the ship again and again. They push forward through the storm, avoiding or pushing back the 'Serpent Currents' until finally, they can see hope in the horizon.

"I...I see it!" laughs Luffy. "I can see the Red Line!" Ahead of them the biggest current they've seen yet...and they're going to ride it right out of the storm. Franky steers themselves into the current, and under Nami's orders they raise the sails...and blast their way out with Coup De Burst! Staring at the huge Red Line ahead of them, their thoughts all turn back to the path they've taken to get here. Robin, Franky and Run have crossed the red line before, and in Run's case, multiple times with his father. When they finally arrive close to the Red Line, they weigh anchor. They want to send a few people down to investigate the sea floor in the submarine that Franky has created...but Run stops them before that.

"It's not going to work," Run tells them. "It's too deep to reach like that."

"Huh? Then how do we get there?" Nami asks him.

"Simple. We have to get the ship coated at Sabaody Archipelago. There's no other way to dive deep enough."

"And where is that at?" Run shrugs his shoulders in response.

"Haaah...I dunno. It's not like a regular island. It's more like just a bunch of trees just growing out of the ocean. Because of that it doesn't have a magnetic pull. All I know is that it's very close to Mariejois...so we need to be careful."

"Why didn't you tell us this before, Red?" Sanji questions him.

"You didn't ask." There's a huge crash and rush of water seconds later, and all heads turn. A Sea King breaks the surface of the water, growling loudly as it stares down at them. Luffy is the first to react, jumping up onto the figure-head of the Sunny.

"Alright, here we go!" laughs Luffy. "Gum-Gum...Rifle!" The attack strikes the Sea King in the stomach, knocking it back instantly. It even spits up something into the sky before crashing back down into the sea and disappearing. Loud screaming sounds from above as whatever, or whoever, it is comes hurdling down and smashes right into Sanji. A...starfish lands on the deck of the ship several feet away.

"Stuck it!" exclaims the starfish. The mermaid pushes herself up and turns to look towards the starfish with a smile.

"That was amazing!" cheers the girl.

"You're not supposed to be impressed! We were almost digested! You just had to stroll right by that monster, didn't you?"

"S-Sorry...I didn't see it." The starfish huffs in response, and then looks under the mermaid girl.

"Oi, not that it matters...but it looks like you're sitting on something." She looks down and immediately panics when she sees Sanji flattened under her. She shakes him, attempting to wake him up but it seems like he's on cloud nine at finally getting to see a mermaid. When Sanji finally assures her that he's alright she seems to notice that there are more, and turns to look at them...before panicking a second time. When she finally calms down she takes a deep breath.

"Thank you for saving me, my name is Keimi! I'm such an easy target for sea monsters to eat...that was about the twentieth time, actually!" She pauses for a moment, considering them. "I really should do something to thank you. Oh! Would you like some takoyaki?"

"Takoyaki?!" exclaims Luffy, all but drooling. "That's my favorite! Let's get some, Run! It's been forever!"

"Really?! Alright! That'll be five-hundred Beli per person." They're all a little taken aback by her trying to sell them takoyaki as her way of saying thank you. The only one not phased it Sanji, who dances about, singing about how great it is to finally meet a mermaid, the first one he's ever met...at least until Usopp reminds him of Kokoro. Sanji falls into depression immediately, trying his best to forget actually seeing her.

"Wait, the old woman Kokoro was a mermaid? But she was walking."

"A mermaid's tail will split when she turns thirty," Run explains. "It'll change back into a tail if she submerges herself in water again. Besides that, she was the one who threw us back onto the Merry, remember?"

"I really don't want to think of her as a mermaid." Nami knocks Luffy to the deck with a single punch. "Stop being rude! I swear, what's with guys and their desire for mermaids?" Robin giggles in response to Nami's chastising, while Brook walks forward towards Keimi.

"This is my first time meeting a mermaid as well," Brook says. "Pardon me...but would you lend me some money?" Sanji kicks the skeleton away, yelling at him for asking her for money. While all of them are talking, the starfish that originally landed with her has moved off to the side, depressed at being ignored. Luffy stretches an arm out and pulls him back to their little group.

"Oi, Keimi, I've been wondering," begins Luffy. "What's this talking glove?"

"Sorry, I forgot," replies Keimi. "His name is Pappug. He's my pet starfish and my master." They are a little confused about how exactly someone's pet can be in charge of them...but from Pappug's explanation it seems that he more or less became her pet because she feeds him well.

"I'm kinda wondering how he can talk."

"Aah, you see, there are reasons for that! When I was little I thought that I was a person. By the time I realized I was a starfish I could already speak the Human language! Anyway, I'm Pappug the starfish! I'm an up-and-coming designer. Thanks for saving us!"

"Actually, it's a good thing we ran into you," Run retorts. "We're trying to get to-"

"Oi, oi!" shouts Luffy. "Takoyaki comes first! Everything else can wait!"

"Oh, right!" chirps Keimi. "I have to repay you! First, we'll have to meet up with Hatchin somewhere." The girl reaches back over her shoulder and digs out a transponder snail from her back-pack. After ringing 'Hatchin' several times someone finally picks up. "Hello, Hatchin? It's Keimi! Sorry that we got seperated! Where are you right now?"

"Is that Keimi I hear?" retorts an apparently unfamiliar voice.

"Hatchin?"

"You don't know me? I'm not Hachi, I'm Macro! The very same one from the Dopey Macro Pirates!"

"Why do you have Hatchin's transponder snail?"

"Because I beat him up! Normally we're not a match for him but we've teamed up with the Flying Fish Riders!" There's a soft scuffle on the opposite end of the line before another voice comes over it. It must be the person that Keimi is looking for because the man immediately orders her not to come after him no matter what. "Oi, give me that!" There's another scuffle and Macro comes back on the line. "Oi, Keimi, we're going to sell off this buddy of yours! Octopus Fishmen are really rare, so he's gonna be worth a fortune! Come and save him if you think you can! We're five kilometers east of Grove Forty-Four in the Sabaody Archipelago hiding out with the Flying Fish Riders. Bye, now!"

The line goes dead, and Keimi stares at the transponder snail in silence. "Was I imagining it or...did that voice on the other end sound really familiar?" Nami wonders. "Maybe I am imagining it. Really..."

"Sorry, Luffy," Keimi mutters softly. "I'll have to treat you all to some takoyaki later. I have to go save my friend."

"We'll go with you," Run tells her simply. "We've got to go to Sabaody anyway. In exchange, show us to a place that does ship coatings. We're trying to reach Fishman Island."

"Really, red hair? Are you sure?!"

"It's fine. Right, Luffy?" Luffy grins from ear to ear and nods in the affirmative, trusting Run's knowledge on the subject.

"You're really help rescue Hatchin, Luffy?"

"Yeah," chirps Luffy in response. "Actually, who is this 'Hatchin' guy?"

"He owns the takoyaki place where I work! His takoyaki is the best in the world!" That seems to be all Luffy needs to hear. In a split second he raring to go rescue 'takoyaki'...and Hatchin by extension when reminded of it. With that decided, Nami askes Keimi and Pappug for directions to the hide-out. Keimi jumps up, and hops over to the railing of the ship, where she calls out loudly. Seconds later, a school of fish pop up around the Sunny, and after a bit of questioning, they agree to point the way for them.

Unfortunately, they're afraid of the Flying Fish Riders, so they'll only take them so far as the out-skirts of the hide-out. Finding their way after that is all up to them. With their destination set, they weigh anchor and set the sails, following the school of fish. Run heads up to the helm with Robin, Nami and Usopp to keep an eye on the school of fish they're following. "So, Run, you seem to know a lot about Fishman Island," Usopp begins, finally breaking the silence.

"Haaah...not really," Run replies, scratching the back of his neck. "I passed through there with the old man and his crew when we back tracked out of the New World...but we didn't really spend too much time there. I only know a few things. Mainly, that you need to have your ship coated in order to reach it."

"What does coating the ship do?" Nami questions.

"I was pretty young when we passed through...but basically it makes the ship sink. A big bubble covers the ship, keeping out the water and allowing the ship and crew to survive the pressure at the bottom of the sea. It's very delicate...actually..." Run pauses to chuckle briefly. "...Yasopp teased me the whole time we were going down, telling me that the bubble could pop any second. When I went running off to find the old man, Roo caught up with me and yelled at him for scaring me." Robin giggles at his story. "What?"

"Nothing," Robin assures him. "It's just funny imaging you scared of something." The red head chuckles a bit in response.

"Did...Did dad look after you a lot?" Usopp asks.

"Not just him," Run sighs. "The whole crew, really. Every time I was with Yasopp, though, he used to talk about you, Usopp. He'd go on and on about his 'little man' waiting for him back home. Always talking about how he must be crying his eyes out waiting for his daddy to come home."

"Shut up! I didn't cry! I wasn't worried about him at all!" Run laughs in response while Usopp continues yelling at him. Music begins playing from the lower deck, and after a few moments of making sure everything is under control, Nami goes to see what is happening. Several minutes pass, listening to what can only be Brook's playing before the fish in front of them finally disperse. Seconds later, Luffy launches himself up and lands on the figure-head.

"I don't see anything!" shouts Luffy, scanning the horizon. Keimi hops up to the helm moments later shouting that the Flying Fish Riders aren't in the water but the sky. All heads turn skyward, just in time to see a trio of large flying fish go speeding past them. "Oooh! That's so cool!" They quickly circle back around, this time dropping bombs from the fish. Zoro and Luffy scatter the bombs before they even get close to the ship...and rather than circle back around they simply break off, and disappear back in the direction they've come from.

After that, they all gather to talk about what to do. Obviously, they're going to be expecting them now...so they need to be on their guard when they get close. They sail on for quite some time before eventually, the Flying Fish Riders' hide-out appears on the horizon.

"Oi, oi, I see it," calls Luffy. "That's the place that Hatchin guy is imprisoned, right? Oi! Let's hurry up and save that takoyaki guy!"

"We'll save him in a flash, Keimi!" gushes Sanji.

"Oh, thank you!" replies Keimi. "Ah! But be careful! The Macro pirates have captured me over thirty times!" While ignoring the fact that Keimi gets captured, and eaten FAR too much, they continue forward. The Flying Fish Riders hide-out is shaped in a half-moon with a large port to moor the Sunny in.

"Looks kinda like a living complex," Franky mutters.

"Who would they go through all the trouble of living out here," Zoro grunts, looking at their base. Ahead of them, a large cage hangs suspended above the ocean with an octopus man tied up within. They closer they get the more familiar the Fishman seems to be. After all this time...there's no way. They couldn't have bumped into THAT guy again, right?

"Keimi!" shouts the Fishman, sounding _very_ familiar to nearly all of them. "I'm alright! I'm right here! Don't worry, alright?"

"Hatchin!" screams Keimi. "I knew you were alright!"

"I am! But you need to go back! This is a trap! You know I'm strong, so go! I can take care of this!"

"Haaah...oh, you gotta be kiddin' me," groans Run, scrubbing a palm across his face. "It _can't_ be _that_ idiot."

"Only one way to find out," retorts Sanji. "Oi! How's Arlong doing?"

"Oh? Arlong?" replies 'Hatchin'. "Well, he, Chew and Kuroobi were all captured by the Navy. I was the only one who managed to break out, and now I'm running a takoyaki shop like I've always dreamed of doing. Aside from this, things have been going really well lately." A groan escapes nearly all of them in response while Luffy starts screaming at Hatchan. Usopp explains the whole sad story to Franky, Chopper and Brook since none of them had been with them during that time. Luffy seems to be torn between his appitite and his hatred for the Fishmen who tortued Nami for years.

"Aah! Do you guys know Hatchin?" Keimi questions them. "Are you guys friends?"

"Haaah...hardly," Run drawls. "Hate to break it to you...but your 'Hatchin' has a bit of a history with us. A bad one." Keimi looks around at all of them, and unable to find one of them willing to help, decides that she's going to help him herself. She hops to the edge of the deck and then dives over with Pappug. Of course, seconds later she surfaces held tightly by a trio of Fishmen along with Pappug. Hatchan immediately begins smashing himself against the iron bars of the cage, trying to free himself and save Keimi.

"Those bastard!" growls Sanji, walking forward. "Keimi did nothing wrong!"

"Wait, Sanji!" shouts Nami. "It's alright. We'll help Hatci, too. We promised, after all." If she's willing to let it go, then so are the rest of them. Luffy is the first one to act, stretching himself out and snatch Keimi and Pappug from the Fishmen before landing in the Flying Fish Riders base.

"Alright!" laughs Luffy. "I got 'em both! Zoro! Cut open the cage!"

"Straw Hat!" bellows Hatchan. "Be careful! You're right in their trap!"

"Luffy!" calls Run. "I'll take care of the flying fish! You can find the guy in charge!" Hearing Run, Luffy grins in response and then sprints off into the base. The Flying Fish Riders break the surface of the sea, and go sailing high into the sky over the head. The Sunny creaks softly as if under an invisible weight while Run turns his attention skyward. "Oi." It's a single word that seems to command the flying fish, causing them to shake and squirm. "Get lost." Two more simple words spoken...but every flying fish that has broken the surface comes crashing down seconds later, and floats at the surface of the sea with their rider, mouths foaming.

"A...Amazing," murmurs Brook, staring at the red head. "He spoke and...they just passed out. What technique is this?"

"Haoshoku Haki." The trio of Fishmen that grabbed Keimi before, suddenly make another appearance, wading through the sea towards her and Pappug on the docks. Zoro rushes forward and leaps from the ship towards the cage holding Hatchan. His swords flash briefly in the sunlight, and he's barely landed on the dock beside Keimi before the cage breaks apart. Hatchan crashes down into the water, and with a single punch, sends all three of them flying. Hatchan wades through the water quickly and scrambles up onto the dock where he reunites with Keimi and Pappug.

Zoro watches as the trio having their happy little reunion for a few moments before sighing heavily. Loud crashing sounds across the Flying Fish Riders' base seconds before Luffy comes sprinting back to the dock.

"Everyone, run!" exclaims Luffy. "There's a really big one coming! It's a guy in a mask riding a big cow!" One of the buildings closest to them collasps into nothing but rubble, and a large masked man riding and even large bison steps through it.

"What's this?" grunts the man. "Wiped out, all of you? Aren't you Flying Fish Riders?! How could all of you be swatted down like flies?!" The man seems to be carrying a grudge against the crew for some reason or another, claiming that ever since a 'certain man' appeared it's forced him to take part in the slave trade out of neccessity rather than desire. But he claims that after today he'll no longer have to worry about that. After killing 'that man' today, he'll be free to live his life as he wants! "On this day even if I, Duval, die as well, I WILL kill you! The pirate, 'Black Foot' Sanji!"

"Huh? He wants to kill me?" wonders Sanji.

"What did you do to this guy?" Franky asks.

"Maybe whatever it was happened when you were working at the restaurant?" Nami offers.

"That was a while ago," Sanji tells her. "All I did back then was piss people off so...I guess it's possible?" Duval fires a barrage of harpoons at the ship, forcing them to dodge the deadly bolts quickly as the embed themselves into the Sunny. Each bolt releases a hiss, followed by a purple haze.

"Those bolts are covered in scorpions poison," Duval tells them. "If one hits you then you'll be dead in three minutes!" Again he fires more of the bolts at them and the Sunny. Luffy takes this chance to rush the man, and kicks the helmet he's wearing right off of his head. "Damn it...fine...I don't need that mask anymore. All of you, take a good look at my face." While most everyone is shocked by his appearance, Run does his best to stifle his laughter, bracing himself against the railing of the Sunny. The man is a dead ringer for Sanji's poorly drawn wanted poster!

"Are you serious?"

"Why...Why do I have to be hunted by famous bounty-hunters because of you, 'Black Foot' Sanji?!" Their cook, now burning with anger, leaps over the railing of the Sunny and swims to the dock of the base before hauling himself up quickly. Sanji starts sprinting towards the man. "Damn it, Black Foot! Give me back my life!" Sanji jumps up, and kicks the man in the face the second he's within range.

"Why do I care?!"

"What do you mean?! Who else could be responsible?!"

"Damn it, I'm the one who's pissed about it!" Run finally can't stifle himself anymore, and breaks out into raucous laughter. Brook's laughter joins his seconds later, annoying Sanji to no end. "Brook! Run! This isn't funny! Just you wait, I'm gonna pound both of you later!" Duval takes this opportunity to explain to them exactly how all of this came to be. He used to be just a small time gangster in some village in the middle of nowhere. He did as he pleased, tormented the villagers, and no one fought back. Until one day, Sanji's wanted poster showed up in the village, and he was chased out by the Marines. Ever since then he's worn that iron mask to hide his face.

Sanji suddenly leaps forward, and pins the man back against the bison by his throat. "All of this is because of something like that?" growls Sanji. "You put Robin and Nami in danger just because of that?!"

"They're part of your crew...so naturally, I hate them as well! They're just as guilty as you!" He moves in an instant, shoving his harpon gun towards Sanji and firing. Their cook dodges with ease, landing several feet away completely unharmed. "Since it's come to this...!" He reaches down and grabs a transponder snail. "Assume formation!" Silence is his response, and he looks towards the water slowly. "H-Huh? Where are there? You...did you get to them, too?!"

"I guess that damn red head is good for something, after all."

"Damn it! Since it's come to this...I'll show you what makes Motobalo so terrifying!" Duval turns the giant bison towards them. "These horns have claimed the lives of countless opponents to this day! They're what allowed me to escape the Marines with my life! They're so strong that they even broke a hole in the village dam!" Luffy cracks his knuckles loudly, and steps up.

"This fight is between you and Sanji," Luffy tells him. The large bison charges forward, and rather than move away, Luffy meets the bison head on. It stops dead in it's tracks, unmoving. "Fighting you is a waste of time! So don't butt in!" Run's eyes widen slightly as he watches the bison start trembling, and back-pedal rapidly. It bucks off Duval before collapsing to the ground completely still and foaming from the mouth.

"That was...just like the thing Run does!" Usopp exclaims. "That H...Hao..."

"Haoshoku Haki," Run finishes, smirking slightly. "I never imagined..."

"Ohhhh!" gasps Luffy, grinning. "Like that thing you do! Can I tame animals now?!" Before Run can answer, Duval shouts loudly and turns to face Luffy and Sanji. While Luffy is ready to fight the man but Sanji steps in front of him quickly. The cook charges him, aiming a barrage of kicks at the Duval's face. Each and every one connects before he finally sends the man flying several meters away where he lies still, the fight over...

* * *

When everything settled at the Flying Fish Riders' hide-out, they leave just as quickly as they came. Hatchan and Keimi keep their word, finding the octopus Fishman's ship and mooring it to the Sunny so that they can treat them to some takoyaki. It really is some of the most delicious that any of them have had. Hatchan treats them to as much as they want, and everything seems to be going good...at least until Duval shows up again. He looks VERY different from before. Apparently, Sanji rearranged the bone-structure in his face to change his appearance.

He seems to be in love with his new handsome self, and tells them that he's only come by to thank them for what they've done. He even gives them the number to his transponder snail before finally leaving. When he's gone, Luffy, Usopp and Chopper stuff themselves to full, nearly eating Hatchan out of house and home. Afterwards, Sanji takes them onto the Sunny and serves them all some tea. With everyone gathered around the table more or less, Keimi opens up her map again.

"You said you need to go to Sabaody Archipelago, right?" Keimi questions him.

"Yeah, we need to find a coating mechanic," Run agrees.

"Do we have to go there first to get to Fishman Island?" Usopp wonders.

"Well," begins Hatchan. "Fishmen and Mermaids can reach Fishman island easily enough by just diving there. But you're Humans, so diving that deep will undoubtedly kill you." Usopp nods in understanding before looking at Run again.

"Is there any other way?"

"Haaah...yeah, but it's impossible," says Run. "The other way involves crossing over the red line on foot, through the holy city of Mariejois. Since we're pirates, there's no way the World Government is going to grant us permission to do so. Of course, doing it that way also requires leaving behind the Sunny and buying a new ship." Franky spits out his tea immediately, declaring that there's no way they're leaving the ship. "Exactly. So, the route we're going to take means going to Fishman island along the sea bed. But it's not without danger. The pressure can crush the ship and kill us, there's also the risk of being eaten by Sea King's and other sea monsters."

"So, how do we get there, then?" questions Franky.

"Simple. We coat the ship, and sink down..."

* * *

Everyone is more or less skeptical of Run's explanation but they place their trust in the red head. It only takes a little bit of time to reach Sabaody Archipelago. They're amazed as they stare at the huge trees and the countless bubbles floating in the air. Hatchan takes the opportunity to explain to them that, just as Run told them, this place isn't a real island. In fact, it nothing more than a collection of the worlds tallest mangrove trees in the whole world. The tree's are marked by numbers from one to seventy-nine, and each one has it's own towns and shops. The place they're going, grove forty-four is the entrance to the archipelago.

They push in further, and eventually drop anchor beside grove forty-one before leaving the ship. "Everyone, remember the number on the tree!" Hatchan tells them. "The groves are all connected by bridges so if you get lost, you should be able to find your way back easily enough!" Bubbles suddenly begin forming right out of the ground in front of them, and Luffy laughs before jumping up onto it.

"Ohh! Look, look!" laughs Luffy. "It's not popping! So cool!"

"These bubbles really are mysterious," Robin says. "How do they work?"

"The roots of the mangroves secrete a special resin," Pappug tells her. Robin kneels down and touches a hand to the grass. When she lifts it, it's covered in a sticky sap...which she promptly wipes on the red head's leg. His lips twitch in response but he remains silence. "The resin expands into bubbles when the roots 'breathe'."

"We'll find a coating mechanic on this island, right?" Run asks Hatchan.

"Yes!" Hatchan assures. "We'll go see a mechanic and have the ship coated right away! Since the danger of using an unskilled mechanic can't be ignored, I'll take you to the only one that I trust! But in exchange...you have to make me one promise! Sometimes, there are World Nobles wandering around in town."

"World Nobles?" echos Usopp.

"Residents of the Holy Land Mariejois," Robin informs him.

"Promise me," continues Hatchan. "No matter what happens in town, that you will not defy the World Nobles. Even if someone is killed right before your eyes, you must pretend you saw nothing. I'll say it again! You _must_ pretend you saw _nothing_...!"


	45. Rescue Keimi! To the Auction House!

In the end, Robin, Nami, Luffy, Chopper, Brook and Run decided to accompany Hatchan to the coating mechanic. Sanji, Franky, Usopp and Zoro stayed behind with the Sunny to keep an eye on the ship. Hatchan takes this opportunity to explain to them not to make any trouble here in Sabaody. Because it's so close to Mariejois, the Marines can respond almost instantly to any disturbance, and because they're used to dealing with powerful Pirate crews, they aren't easy to shake or fight off.

The place is also swarming with bounty-hunters, who capture and then sell off any pirates that they can in the Human Auction. Honestly, it sounds like a bunch of worrying all for nothing but they let him go on and decide to at least somewhat loosely obey his requests. The first place they make a stop is some sort of bubble bike shop. Apparently, one can rent seat with a small fan on the back that turns in accordance with one's peddling. Luffy wants to buy one but Hatchan explains that the bubbles will burst anywhere but here on Sabaody, so they rent three of them, instead.

Thankfully, they come in different styles, one of which is a large wagon, allowing nearly all of them to ride it. Hatchan also asks them to refer to him and Keimi as a Human from here on out, and even dons some clothing to disguise both of them as much as possible. Run leans back against the wagon, head tilted back to stare up at the sky. Nami and Robin stay with them for only a bit longer after renting the bubble bikes before eventually running off to go shopping.

The red head stares up at the tall mangroves...it's been a long time since he's been here. He really should go visit them. There's no way that they've left. Not those two...and he hasn't seen them in over a decade. It could also help the crew. If Hatchan's coating mechanic falls through, he could always ask him for a favor. Run heaves a sigh and jumps down from the bubble wagon. "Oi, Luffy," Run calls, attracting his Captain's attention. "I'm gonna go...visit someone. I'll catch up with everyone later." Without allow any of them in a word edge wise he disappears...

* * *

"Haaah...it's been so long," murmurs Run, slowly walking towards the long staircase in the distance. He's traveled all the way into the lawless area of Sabaody to Grove Thirteen to meet them. Just like he thought, Shakky hasn't briefly wonders if this is what it's like going to visit your favorite aunt and uncle...or maybe your grandparents, considering their age. The red head chuckles as he draws closer to the staircase, a smile forming slowly on his face. He walked those stairs with the old man more than a decade ago now.

"Surround him! Quickly!" shouts a loud voice. Men suddenly surround him, weapons held at the ready while Run continues walking. "Yeah, that's him. 'Red' Run First Mate of the Straw Hat Pirates with a bounty of 230,000,000 Beli! All alone, too! We really hit the big time, b...unh..." The bounty-hunters begin dropping one by one, foaming at the mouth until there isn't a single one left standing. Run casually steps over the unconscious bodies as he makes it to the base of the stairs, and slowly climbs them.

"I wonder if they'll recognize me now." He turns his head up towards the top, and after a short climb finds himself standing across from a dark haired woman. She stares silently at the red head who simply stares back, unsure what to say.

"My, my...I was wondering who was using Haki in these parts," Shakky says finally. "You certainly made a racket...I think you might even have cracked the railing there. Can't you use a little more control?" Run chuckles, and scratches the back of his neck nervously. "Well?" Run blinks in confusion, and Shakky smiles at him. "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to come and give me a hug, little Run?" Run chuckles again and walks over, hugging her. "You've gotten so big since I last saw you. Come on in." Run follows her inside, and takes a seat at the bar. Shakky pours him a cup of coffee, and sets it down in front of him. "How have you been?"

"Good...or as good as can be, aunty. How about you?"

"The same, more or less." Run lifts the coffee cup and takes a sip, finding it fitting his tastes exactly. "You know, Ray has been very interested in what you've been doing. Especially after your crew invaded Enies Lobby. He's been worried out of his mind, actually. So has Shanks, for that matter. He sends letters here, all the time. It's mostly just wishing you well so I've been screening them for you." Run laughs as he sets his cup down. "I've kept all of them if you'd like to take them. But enough about that. Tell me, since you're here does that mean you're getting preparing to enter the New World?"

"Yeah. A...friend of ours is going to introduce us to a coating mechanic."

"Oh? Why didn't you just bring them all here? Ray is a coating mechanic, after all."

"Must have slipped my mind."

"Well, you were pretty young when he coated Shanks' ship. I guess it can't be helped...even if you had brought them here, I haven't seen him in quite some time."

"Really? What's he done this time?"

"Who knows with that man. But...I'm not really worried about him. I'm sure he's fine." Shakky stares at him for a moment before smiling. "You know, Shanks did say something interesting in his letters though." Run lifts his coffe cup to take another sip. "He said to use safe sex with that woman of yours." The red head nearly spits out the coffee in his mouth before choking it down and going into a coughing fit. "He said, although you call him 'old man' he isn't quite ready to be a grandfather, yet."

"Why, that damn old man! Like he's one to talk! Just how old does he then he was when I was born?!" Shakky giggles softly while Run continues his complaining.

"Aah, young love. So, tell me about this, Nico Robin. I've heard she's quite the looker." After a few moments Run calms down and describes Robin to her, as well as telling a few tales of the whole crew's adventures. Shakky listens, watching his animated expressions the whole time. She, like Silvers and Shanks, has followed when the red head and the Straw Hats have been up to with great interest for some time. So, naturally, she knows most everything he tells her but...hearing it all first hand is refreshing and enlightening compared to the tales that have been spun. When he's finished, both of them are laughing. "My, it sounds like you've found some good friends...and a good woman."

The door to the bar is suddenly thrown open, and both look towards it immediately as a trio of men stomp in. "Oi, oi, what kinda run down place is this?" complains the man in front, looking around. Run turns his attention back to Shakky. "Oi, woman, bring us some drinks!"

"Anyway," drawls Run. "I should probably get going...I need to keep an eye on Luffy with all these damn 'Dragons' wandering around as they please. There's no telling what-"

"Oi! Woman! Didn't you hear what our Captain said?!" demands one of them, approaching Shakky and Run. "Do ya want us to wreck up this shitty bar?" He slams his hand down on the bar, knocking Run's coffee over and spilling it across Shakky's hand. She jerks her hand back quickly, sucking in a sharp breath from the pain.

"Aunty, are you alright?" She nods in response, and wipes up the spilled coffee with a bar-rag. Run turns on his bar stool to glare at the trio, elbows resting on the bar top.

"Huh? What? You tryin' ta pick a fight, red?"

"O-Oi," begins one of them. "I think I recognize this guy! Isn't he..."

* * *

"Huh?" grunts Pappug, staring up at the sign over the bar. "Are you sure this is the right place, Hatchan? It really sounds like they're gonna rip you off!" Hatchan has taken them all the way to Grove Thirteen to meet his coating mechanic, and after a few fights with some bounty-hunters, it seems they've arrived. "I mean, what kinda name is 'Shakky's Rip-Off Bar'?" Chopper walks towards the door, carrying Keimi on his shoulder.

"Is the craftsman a violent person, by any chance?" wonders Chopper. Hatchan assures them all that they're nice people, and he's known them all since he was a child. Luffy wonders why they're going into a bar if they're looking for a coating mechanic running towards the door with Hatchan. Hatchan pushes open the door, announcing his presence. Hatchan pauses in the middle of the doorway, staring in. Chopper and Luffy lean around him to take a peek, and cock their heads in confusion. "Run?" The red head is holding a beaten, bloody blond haired pirate by the front of his shirt while two others lie unconscious around him.

"Yes, welcome," calls a female voice. "Come in. What'll it be?"

"Red hair?" grunts Hatchan, attracting Run's attention. "What are you doing here?"

"Me? What are _you_ doing here?" retorts Run. "Weren't you going to see a...haaah...really, Hatchan?"

"Is that Hatchan?" questions Shakky. "My, long time no see!" She leans slightly over the bar to smile at the Fishman as he enters, still looking at the red head. "How long as it been? Ten years?"

"Y-Yeah," stutters Hatchan. "It's good to see you again!"

"Go ahead and have a seat. I was just in the middle of something so I'll be right with you." They walk over to have a seat while Run tosses out the first, then the second and then the third pirate as if none of them weight anything at all. Shakky pours the red head a cup of coffee before taking a seat to catch up with Hatchan and Keimi. As if it's the most natural thing in the world, Brook and Luffy help themselves to whatever they want out of her refrigerator.

"Luffy, Brook, what are you doing?!" screams Chopper. "She's gonna rip you off!"

"It's fine," laughs Shakky, standing and walking over to the fridge for a moment before returning. "Here. I have something for you, too." She offers Chopper some cotton candy, which he gladly takes from her. "Now, that'll be one-hundred thousand Beli, please." Chopper looks like he's on the very of tears seconds later, and Run sighs.

"Aunty, could you please not tease Chopper," Run asks her. Shakky giggles in response, and crouchs to gently pat his head.

"It's fine. I could never charge friends of little Run."

"Aunty? Little Run?" echo Luffy and Brook, looking at the red head.

"Oi, lady, how do you know Run?" Luffy questions her.

"You're Monkey, right," Shakky says, not really asking him. "I first met little red when he came passed through here with Shanks. But...that's been over a decade ago now. As for how I know you, I keep up on current events. Everyone is talking about you besides that. But I had no idea that you added a skeleton to the crew, or that skeletons could even move and talk."

"Oh, forgive me," Brook says. "I am the dead and skeletonized Brook. Please to meet you."

"Nice to meet you. Oh. Look how much you've dropped." Shakky reaches forward and picks a piece of rice off his face before eating it. Brook seems to fall in love immediately, somehow blushing bright enough to turn his bones red.

"Ohhh! What a delightful person your aunty is, Run! Tell me, what color are your panties?" Run pinches the bridge of his nose in response.

"Oh. Let me think...today they're-" Run plugs his ears before she can finish. It's really not an image he needs in his head. Brook's 'nose' somehow gushes the blood that he doesn't have and Run finally removes his fingers from his ears. When Luffy and Brook have finished eating, they sit at the bar beside Run. "You know, you have the same name as someone in the Navy named Garp, Monkey."

"Aah, yeah," agrees Luffy. "He's my grandpa."

"Really? Garp once chased me long ago."

"How come?"

"Shakky used to be a pirate," Hatchan tells them.

"I washed my hands of it forty-years ago, though," Shakky says. "These days I just have fun cheering you rookies on."

"Anyway, Shakky-"

"I know what you're going to ask, Hatchan. You're here to get their ship coated by Reyleigh, right? Run already told me you were taking them to a coating mechanic. Like I told him, I haven't seen Reyleigh in almost half a year. He's probably shacked up with some girls somewhere, so I'm not really worried about his well being. He was a pirate, and old habits die hard, as they say."

"Looks like we've got no choice but to hunt him down," mutters Run. "Any idea where we should start, aunty?"

"I'd try groves one through twenty-nine, Run. Ah. I remember that he's particularly fond of Sabaody Park." Luffy, Brook, Chopper and Keimi are raring to go to the amusement park...but whether they're really interested in looking for him or enjoying the rides is besides the point. "But, you should be careful. According to my information, including you and your crew, Monkey, they are twelve people here in Sabaody with a bounty that exceeds one-hundred million Beli."

"Over one-hundred million?" echos Chopper.

"Yes. Excluding Monkey, Roronoa and Run, that leaves nine more. It's not every day that so many of the worlds rookies show up at once. Especially Kid, Luffy, Run, Hawkins, Drake, Law...these are the names that consistently showed up in the newspapers. In terms of bounty, you'd be ranked second, Luffy, and you come in at fourth, Run."

"There are people worth more than Luffy and Run?!" Shakky goes on to list off the names of all these 'rookies' gathered on Sabaody, naming each one and their bounty.

"With so many rookies gathered here, things are going to get hectic in the New World. Also, the reason that Kidd's bounty is so high compared to either of yours...he's been responsible for a number of cases involving serious harm to civilians. Not very charming, is he?"

"I'm just trying to have fun," laughs Luffy. "Aah...but I'm worried about that old guy if he's in such a rough part of town."

"Don't be," Run assures him. "Trust me. He can _more_ than take care of himself, Luffy..."

* * *

With no other course of action left, they excuse themselves from Shakky's bar, and gather out front to go looking for Silvers. Shakky sends them all off with a warning to not make any trouble. While the Navy won't go out of it's way to come looking for them, it won't ignore them either if they make a ruckus. While everyone else is intent on going to look for him at the amsument park, Run decides to go poke around in the gambling dens and bars looking around for him. He heads for the nearest town in the lawless area, which isn't that difficult to find, surprisingly.

As he's nearing it, however, a series of gunshots sounds and the red head sighs heavily. Even if it's a 'law-less' area, can't people at least exercise some self control? He enters the town proper, walking down the mainstreet towards a gathering of people...one of which he recognizes. Zoro sits cross-legged in the street, smeared in something red...which he seems to be licking off himself. A woman stands in front of him, hands on her hips and shouting at him.

"Just what the hell were you thinking?!" demands the woman. "Were you trying to attract an admiral to this place?! Don't get us caught up in your trouble!"

"Oi, Zoro!" Run calls, approaching him. "I thought you stayed back with the Sunny?"

"I went for a walk, Red," retorts Zoro. "Gimmie a hand." Run reaches out and helps Zoro stand with ease. "What are you doing here? Didn't you go with the others to find a...mechanic or whatever it is?" Run looks at his now red smeared hand for a moment before shaking it in an attempt to rid himself of it.

"Haaah...there's been some...complications. Come on. I'll tell you on the way."

"Damn it, are either of you even listening to me?!" bellows the woman. Both of them glance at her before looking away again. "I'm talking to you two dumbasses! Is there something wrong with your heads?!" Over her shouting both Zoro and Run can hear the people around them murmuring. It sounds very much like they're talking about the two of them. Zoro ignores it, and walks over to a man lying face down on the grass before picking him up.

"Oi, Red," grunts Zoro. "I don't suppose you know which way it is to the hospital, do you? This guy has been shot."

"How would I know that?" retorts Run. Several of the people around them quickly motion the two of them in a direction, and they head that way. Thankfully it's a short jaunt to the hospital where they turn the man over to the doctors...but not before they investigate whether the man is wearing a collar. After scaring him a little to make sure they understand he's a person and not an object, the two of them leave the hospital. "I already hate this damn place. I remember now why the old man always kept me attatched to his hip while we were here."

"Let's head back to the ship."

"Haah...you go on ahead. I'm gonna keep looking for our lost mechanic." The two part ways there with Run heading away from the hospital and the town on towards the next. Of course, just as soon as he believes Zoro has left, he bumps into him again. "Zoro?"

"Run? I thought you were going to look for that coating guy?" Before Run can respond both of them hear loud yelling, and turn their heads skyward. Luffy is sailing towards them on the back of a flying fish. "What the? What is he doing?"

"Zoro! Run! We gotta get to Grove One! Just get on!" screams Luffy. He passes by them, and suddenly stretches both arms out to grab the two...and then sling-shotting them onto the back of the flying fish with him and the driver without giving them a chance to respond. Luffy doesn't explain a thing to them, only yells at the man driving to go faster and faster still until finally a building appears in the distance. "Go! Crash through it! We've got to get in there!" They all hang on tight as they go crashing through the doors of the building, and smash into the ground to a chorus of screams.

"Damn it...are you trying to kill us?!" complains Run, pushing himself up and brushing aside pieces of the door.

"I-I was just doing what I was told!" replies the driver. "Luffy said to crash into it!"

"Why are you in such a hurry to get back to the Sunny?" Zoro questions him, stepping away from the crashed fish. "Actually...where are we?" The room is crowded with people, and center stage is none other than Keimi trapped inside a large glass bubble. Standing several feet away is even the rest of the crew.

"Keimi!" shouts Luffy, looking towards the stage. "Keimi! Hold on! I'm coming!" He goes sprinting down the stairs without a second thought, ignoring Hatchi who goes chasing after him. The Fishman grabs him, attempting to stop him but doing little in the way of actually slowing him. He's actually forced to use all his arms to physically slow down Luffy...which unfortunately outs him as a Fishman to everyone present. Everyone present expresses immediately disgust with him, even throwing things at him. Still, Luffy presses on, intent on freeing Keimi...at least until a gunshot echos through the room. All eyes turn to Hatchan, who collapses onto the stairs, bleeding heavily. "Hatchan!"

Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat's immediately focus on the fat, celebrating man standing on the stairs. He seems SO proud of himself for having shot someone in their back. Luffy growls and starts back up the stairs slowly, glaring fiercely at the fat man. Hatchan catches his arm as he starts to pass. "W-Wait...Straw Hat!" demands Hatchan. "You...You promised not to defy the Celestial Dragons no matter what! This...This is my p...punishment. I was a pirate...I d-did horrible things...this is exactly...what I deserve! I just wanted to make it all up...to Nami! But...But I screwed up! I'm always causing trouble! I'm...I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"You lousy fish!" screeches the fat man. "You're still blabbering even after I shot you! You annoy me!" He points the gun at Hatchan again, and Luffy steps between them. "What's with that look, you?!" Luffy moves towards him quickly. "You annoy me, too!" He fires at Luffy, who simply turns his shoulder to avoid his poor aim, and punches him so hard in the face that he smashes through several rows of seats before coming to a stop.

"Sorry, guys," chirps Luffy. "Punching that guy means that a Navy admiral is gonna be on the way."

"Haaah...it's fine," drawls Run, releasing his grip on the hilt of his saber. "Let's just grab the key to Keimi's collar before he gets here." Another Celestial Dragon, the fat one's father apparently, stands up out of the crowd and points a gun at Luffy. He squeezes the trigger, and a loud 'clang!' follows the gunshot. The man squeals loudly as the weapon explodes in his hand. Run taps his saber against his shoulder as he glares at the man and woman standing beside him. The crowd around them immediately heads for the exit, trying not to get between the Celesital Dragons and their targets. A trio of guards rush up the stairs towards Luffy and Run.

Run simply turns his gaze down on them, and they stop in place before dropping to their knees and rolling back down the stairs. Every one of the Celestial Dragon's guards, and even the Celestial Dragon's themselves suddenly slump over, unconscious and foaming at the mouth. Even the glass bubble containing Keimi cracks loudly before exploding and spilling the Mermaid across the stage at the front of the room. "Good job, Run!" calls Chopper, dashing down the stairs towards Hatchan.

"This is no fun," complains Zoro. "I didn't even get to do anything."

"Sorry," replies Run. "But time is a factor here. We have to get a move on before the Navy gets wind of what's going on here." The ceiling to the building suddenly bursts open, crashed through by Robin, Usopp and Brook. All three land, ready for a fight but upon seeing that only the crew is left standing, they relax.

"Hate to burst your bubble," begins a calm voice, drawing Run's attention to the seats beside him. "But even if you use whatever trick that was, Red...the Marines have already surrounded the place. The probably did it before you even caused any trouble." Despite Run's broad use of Haoshoku Haki, the man appears completely unfazed...he's no weakling.

"Who are you?" Luffy questions the man.

"You must be Trafalgar Law," speaks Robin. "Luffy, he's a pirate. And the man up there..." They follow Robin's line of sight to a man standing near the entrance. "...he's Eustass 'Captain' Kid." Run stares up at the red haired man calmly. While he appears unfased by his Haki, the men standing close to him are trembling lightly. There's a loud crash at the head of the room that attracts all of their attention. An old man, and a giant force their way through the wall, stepping out onto the stage.

"Oi, uncle!" calls Run, actually smiling as he slowly descends the stairs towards him.

"Uncle?" echo nearly all of the crew, watching the red head. The old man squints his eyes as he looks at the red head...and then a huge grin splits his face.

"Little Run!" laughs Rayleigh. "I was curious as to who threw off that burst of Haki! Turns out it was you, huh?" Rayleigh laughs again as he approaches the edge of the stage. "Your Haki has gotten so strong since I saw you last, and you've gotten so tall, too!" Rayleigh laughs while Run chuckles a bit, What are you doing here? Wait...don't tell me. You're getting ready to cross into the New World?"

"Rayleigh!" shouts Hatchan, attracting his attenion.

"Oh, and Hachi, too! Hm? Oi, how did you get that wound?! Wait...nevermind, I think I understand what's going on." Rayleigh finally turns his attention to Luffy, a smirk appearing on his face. "You know...I'd say that straw hat suits a dauntless man well. I've been waiting to meet you, Monkey D. Luffy. I've been dying to talk to the man little Run would agree to sail under." Rayleigh turns his attention to Keimi. "But first...I guess I should take care of that collar." He approaches the mermaid girl calmly. "I'm going to take off your collar now, alright, girl? Don't move."

"H-Hold on! I'll go get the keys!" Franky shouts, disappearing quickly. "Don't touch it, geezer!" Rayleigh ignores him...and quick as a flash, has the collar and cuffs off of Keimi. The resulting explosion, however, drawns Franky back, now holding a key ring. "Oi! What happened?!"

"There you are. You're free again." Rayleigh glances over his shoulder at Franky. "You. Carry her." He drops off the stage, and begins walking up the stairs. Rayleigh looks at the other pirates in the room, smiling lightly. "You lot must be quite strong to have withstood that with no problem...or most of you anyway, heh-heh."

"I never expected to meet such a big-shot," muses Kid. "The 'Dark King' Silvers Rayleigh...what's a legendary man doing around here?"

"Hmph. Around these parts I'm simply Ray, a coating mechanic. Don't go using that other name so freely, youngster. I'm just an old soldier trying to live in peace and quiet." He walks to Hatchan's side, and checks on him to make sure he's going to be alright...and also remind him that he warned him not to walk around without a disguise.

"So, old guy," begins Luffy. "What's this about wanting to meet me?"

"Let's put that aside for now. We should get out of here first." Seconds later, a loud voice echos from outside demanding that they release the Celestial Dragons and turn themselves over to the Navy. They're warned that an admiral is on the way at this very moment. With that in mind, Kid thats it upon himself to go on ahead. He tells them he's going to help them out as well by clearing a path for escape. Naturally, Luffy and Law aren't going to sit idly by and allow him to do what he wants, so they go as well.

"Haaah...we should follow them," Run tells them. "We'll all break through at once."

"Got it." Rayleigh lifts Hatchan up onto his back with ease. "We'll meet back at Shakky's in Grove Thirteen if we get separated." With that decided, they head for the entrance immediately, following after Luffy. Outside, more Marines than they can count have gathered. "Well, well, things have certainly gotten lively! Think you can take care of all of them?"

"Aaah, I dunno. Never tried to knock out so many people...I've only really relied on it when necessary, uncle."

"I guess we'll just have to do it the old fashioned way, then." They charge into the marine forces, battering their way through in an attempt to make their escape. The Marines fall in waves before the crew and what seemed to be endless forces soon has to be bolstered with a call for reinforcements. They just haven't got the time to deal with this man Marines! Not when they've got an admiral closing in on their position! Luckily enough, it seems the Flying Fish Riders aren't ready to call things square with the Straw Hat's just yet! They make a timely arrival, calling for them to hop on so they can make their escape...

* * *

"Eeeehhhh?!" screams Luffy, rattling the windows of Shakky's bar. "Really?! Really?! Are you really him?!" Rayleigh laughs as he pours himself another drink. Apparently the news of being Gol D. Rogers former First Mate is quite a shock to their Captain and the crew...well, maybe it'd be a shock to anyone if they didn't know. Besides Run, Robin is the only other one who doesn't seem surprised. Shakky giggles lightly, leaning against the bar to look over at Hatchan.

"You never told them, Hatchan?" Shakky questions him.

"We only needed help coating the ship," Hatchan tells her. "I didn't think it mattered." Run reclines in his seat beside Robin and turns his head slightly.

"I guess you figured it out, then," Run whispers.

"It wasn't difficult," Robin replies. "It's not as if it's a common name, after all. What caught me off guard was just how familiar to seem with them." Run explains that Shanks almost always came to visit them when he decided he wanted to take a 'break' for a bit. Rather than wait on the ship, he accompanied him to visit. In a way, they've become like an aunt and uncle to him.

"There's something I don't get," speaks Sanji, attracting their attention. "Gold Roger's crew was captured over twenty years ago...wasn't your head supposed to be on the chopping block next to his?" Rayleigh actually laughs in response.

"The Navy didn't capture us," Rayleigh tells them. "Not even a single one. Roger turned himself in. The government lied through it's teeth in an attempt to show it's strength. But the fact of the matter is that most of the old crew is still around."

"Roger turned himself in?" echos Nami. "Why? What for?"

"Because we saw the end of our journey. Roger was sick. There is no cure for what he had...and it was slowly killing him. But, as luck would have it, we encountered a doctor with the skill to ease Roger's suffering. A man we met at Twin Capes, a man named Crocus. We asked him for help, and he accompanied us on what would be our final journey. Three years later, Roger achieved what was thought to be impossible...he conquered the Grand Line! Aaah, at this age, I would love to see him again. He may have only sailed with us for a short time, but he was one of us."

"So, what happened after he conquered the seas?" Sanji questions him.

"That's when it began. The world dubbed him the 'King of the Pirates'. He hadn't been king of anything the entire time before that. Titles hold no meaning for a man about to die but...Roger was overjoyed. He lived his life in a flashy way...whether it was fighting or celebrating...he even loved to plan for the future, although he knew he wouldn't be a part of it. Eventually, per our Captain's orders, the Roger Pirates were secretly disbanded. One by one, we all left...we risked our lives for each other but I've no idea where the others are or how they're doing. About a year after that, Roger was 'captured' and executed in Loguetown."

A silence falls over the bar as Rayleigh sighs heavily. He picks up his glass, and then knocks it back in one smooth motion. Rayleigh surprises them, when he reaches for the bottle and follows it up with another long drink from the bottle.

"Aaah," sighs Rayleigh. "Roger is dead but...there are still some who have inherited something from Roger. Shanks was most definitely one of them...and Buggy, too. You've all met Buggy, right?" Everyone groans a little in response. "Well, he and Shanks were apprentices on the ship all those years ago."

"Eh?! Shanks was on the Pirate King's ship?!" bellows Luffy. "Why didn't you or Shanks tell me, Run?!

"Oh? You never told him?"

"It didn't come up," Run tells him.

"Well, I bumped into him again about ten years ago, now. He'd lost his straw-hat and his left arm...but when I asked him what happened, he cheerfully spoke about you. I've wanted to meet you ever since, Monkey D. Luffy." Luffy yanks his hat down over his eyes, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm sure he eagerly awaiting your arrival...both of you, in the New World."

"Aah, I can't wait to see him again!" laughs Luffy.

"Well, then! It's about time we get down to business!" Rayleigh stands from the bar and turns to face all of them. "I've got a job to return to, after all. You wanted your ship coated, right?"

"That reminds me," begins Hatchan. "Coating costs a lot of money-"

"Don't worry about it. There's no way I can accept money from your friends, and my nephew!" Nami is naturally over-joyed to not have to pay for the coating. Rayleigh starts walking towards the door when Robin quickly stands, and calls out to stop him. "Hm?"

"Rayleigh, I have a question," Robin begins. "What is the 'Will of D'? Roger's name was engraved in ancient writing on a Poneglyph I examined on Sky Island. How was he able to use that writing? Do you people know what happened during the Void Century?"

"Yeah...we know." Robin stares in shocked silence. "We learned it all. The entirety of history." Robin has barely opened her mouth before Rayleigh holds a palm up, silencing her. "Now, now, Miss. There's no need to be so hasty. Continue on your own path, one step at a time. We, ourselves, might have been too hasty in learning it. Even if I were to tell you everything right here and now, you wouldn't be able to do anything with it as you are. It's also possible that after traveling on your own, you may arrive at an entirely different conclusion from us. But if you insist on knowing it...I will tell you everything here and now."

After a few moments of consideration Robin chuckles. "No. On second thought, I believe I'll continue my journey."

"It'll all work out in the end, so don't worry."

"O-Oi! Are you sure, Robin?!" shouts Usopp. "This is such a rare chance! Oi, old guy! I've gotta know! One Piece, is it-"

" **USOPP**!" bellows Luffy, jumping up onto the bar. "I don't want to know where the treasure is! I don't want to know if something is actually there! We've put our lives on the line and set out to sea even though we don't know anything! I'd rather quit being a pirate right now than have everything spoiled! I won't go on a boring adventure!" Usopp panics quickly, apologizing and telling Rayleigh not to answer him.

"Are you sure you can do it?" Rayleigh questions him. "The Grand Line is a beast all it's own. Can you rule that mighty sea?"

"Haha! I'm not gonna rule a thing! It's the free-est person on the sea that King of the Pirates...!"


	46. Gone

Hello~! This is going to be a _really_ short chapter! I apologize for that! I really should have added this on to the one before but I kind of jumped to gun, heh. Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy it regardless! As always, let me know what you think!

* * *

Three days. That's what Rayleigh told them before seeing them off, Vivre Card in hand. It would take him three days to finish the coating if he were to go as fast as he felt comfortable. Honestly, it's going to be dangerous dodging the Marines for three days but it's a risk worth taking if it means they won't be crushed to death on their way to Fishman Island. "I never imagined we'd bump into a member of the Pirate King's crew here," says Franky, breaking the silence. "He's pretty intimidating for an old guy."

"Well, he's one of the most renowned members of Roger's crew, after all," reasons Usopp.

"Hmph. So that's what members of the Oro Jackson's crew were like. I'm glad to have met him!" Luffy stops in the middle of the path suddenly, and turns to face them. He announces that they should head to the amusement park which Usopp and Franky immediately yell at him for. It seems that even Brook and Chopper want to go. After arguing with their Captain for several minutes he eventually admits defeat and they continue on...but he continues pitching his head none-the-less.

A sudden explosion directly in their path causes all of them to jump back quickly. To their utter astonishment, and from out of the resulting plume of smoke, Kuma steps out to stand across from them. Run growls loudly, fists balling tightly.

"You, again," grunts Run.

"Who are you?" Luffy asks, staring at the huge Shichibukai.

"Luffy! He's a Shichibukai!" calls Nami.

"Huh? Why do you guys know that?" Luffy turns to look at them while Kuma slips his glove off, holding his hand out in their direction.

"Don't let it hit you!" screams Sanji. "It's a shock wave!" A bright glow roars to life in the palm of his hand, and he fires off the attack at Luffy. Their Captain dodges the attack, avoiding the resulting explosion that pulverizes the ground. While Luffy is a little upset with Sanji's 'lie'...both he and Chopper are star struck by the beam attack fired at him. Run appears in front of Kuma in the next moment, arm cocked back.

"Sea King's Bite!" Run shouts, punching the Shichibukai in the chest. Kuma goes sailing back and smashes into the base of one of the large mangrove trees hard enough to punch a crater in it. A small cloud of dust is kicked up from the impact, obscuring Kuma briefly.

"Did that do it?" Nami asks.

"Hardly. He's not that weak." The large Shichibukai walks out of the dust slowly, appearing no worse for wear.

"Second Gear!" announces Luffy, drawing their attention. "Oi...let's go all out from the start! This guy is strong, right?" Kuma raises his hand in their direction, and they scatter quickly to avoid the following beam of light. He chases them with attacks, firing them off in rapid succession as they dodge this way and that. Luffy, Sanji, Zoro and Run push towards him regardless, intending to put him down before things get out of hand.

"...Gum-Gum...Jet..."

"...Diable...Muton..."

"...Churning...Tide..."

"...Three Sword Style... Six-Hundred Pound..."

"... **CANNON**!"

"Kuma is struck in his chest by their combined attack, and goes flying to demolish a building on impact. The three of them stand, watching the building. "The way he fights is completely different than before," Zoro mutters, breathing slightly heavy.

"Maybe he's a twin then?" offers Luffy.

"Maybe. The real one would have teleported and dodged the attack. He's not using the shock-waves, either...and he doesn't have the paw pads." Kuma suddenly emerges from the dust and rubble as if nothing has happened...and he's right back to attacking them with his lasers again. They scatter once more, dodging his attacks before he suddenly settles on Luffy as his target. Run appears beside the look alike in an instant, saber held at the ready.

"Red Line Strike!" growls Run, bringing his saber down on the out-stretched arm. There's a loud 'crash!' and the look alike recoils quickly as Run passes. It's arm drops to the ground between them as he slides to a stop. Sparks leap wildly from the severed appendage, along with a small spray of blood. "Got...aah!" The red head drops to a knee, a hand pressed against his chest in pain. The look alike stretches out it's left arm towards him, energy rapidly gathering.

"Look out, Red!" shouts Zoro, dashing by him in an instant. "108 Pound Phoenix!" The waves created by Zoro strike the look alike in the chest and arm, redirecting it's attack into the ground. Luffy, and Sanji appear at his side moments later. Sanji and Zoro start to connect the dots now. The reason he'd been relying so heavily on his Haki since leaving Thriller Bark is because he hasn't had the chance to fully heal. He's been trying to recover as quickly as possible so he's been avoiding fighting. Run forces himself to his feet and turns to face the look alike before walking towards him. The look alike opens his mouth, energy gathering in it wildly.

"Churning...!"

"Stop him!" Robin screams. Chopper sprints past the red head and leaps towards the look alike.

"Hoof Print Blizzard Rose!" calls Chopper, changing into his arm point and striking again and again. The look alike grabs him with his only hand, and turns his opened mouth towards him. Franky rushes forward now and leaps between them.

"Strong Hammer!" calls Franky, snapping out an uppercut that diverts the blast. "Now! Franky Boxing!" After a few punches, Franky is back-handed away only to be caught by Robin before he can bounce away. Brook quickly sprints up a tree.

"Alright, my turn! Yohohoho~!" laughs Brook, jumping off and dropping down. "Swallow Bon en Avant!" Rather than spearing through, he ends up struck in his shoulder. "Eh?" The look alike turns up, and charges a laser shot in his mouth. "H-Hold on! That'll kill me! Although, I'm already dead...aah! This is no time to be saying that!"

"Special Attack: Atlas Comet!" shouts Usopp, firing off an attack that dislodges Brook. It strong enough that it actually knocks the look alike to his knees, and he collapses face down moments later. When he finally pushes himself up, he acts as if he's gone crazy, firing attacks in all directions. Sanji and Zoro step up to take him on.

"Oi, knock him to me," Zoro tells Sanji. The cook snorts in response but rushes forwards regardless.

"Diable Jambe!" announces Sanji. "Flambe Shot!" The kick briefly ignites the front of the look alike and he stumbles backwards towards Zoro.

"Demon Aura Kyutoryu!" growls Zoro, suddenly having grown two more heads and four more arms. "Ashura! Nine Lightning Strikes!" In an instant, he's cut through the look alike like a hot knife through butter. Run actually smirks as he watches him. So, that's his answer to some of the red head's techniques. When he'd developed it is beyond him but...it's interesting none-the-less. Luffy drops out of the sky towards the reeling look alike.

"Third Gear!" screams Luffy, inflating his fist. "Gum-Gum...Giant Rifle!" Luffy fist drives the look alike into the ground, pulverizing him almost completely. When Luffy's arm inflates he comes crashing down, landing with the rest of them shrunken to half his size again. They're all already exhausted from fighting the look alike...they need to hide for the rest of the three days. They can't fight another one. Franky takes this opportunity to tell them that this look alike is a cyborg like him. Most likely, he was either a brother or someone who looked like Kuma and was changed to become a cyborg for some reason.

Luffy actually agrees with them splitting up for a change, considering just how much this has taken out of them.

"You guys have got some nerve!" complains a voice out of nowhere. All of them look around quickly, trying to find the person, who Chopper eventually spots above them. The axe weilding person jumps out of the mangrove and lands several meters away, flanked by another cyborg. "You're a real disgrace, PX-4. It costs as much as a warship to build one of you Pacifista's. What am I gonna tell that punk in my report now?"

"Who the hell are you, axe guy?" Franky questions.

"How dare you call someone by their weapons name? I ain't gonna tell you anything! I got the toughest defense in the world! My lips are sealed just as tightly! I'm Sentomaru, the most tight-lipped guy in the world!" He seems to catch his mistake seconds later. "Just so ya know, I told you that voluntarily told ya that! Let's begin, PX-1!" The cyborg fires off two beams, forcing them all to dodge quickly. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Run land close to each other, staring at the resulting cloud of smoke.

"Fight or flight, Luffy?" Run asks, gripping his saber tightly.

"We need to go," Luffy tells them. "Let's spilt up!" They all turn and flee in three opposite directions. Zoro, Usopp and Brook go one way. Nami, Sanji and Franky go another and Run accompanies Luffy, Robin and Chopper. "Oi! We'll all meet up at the Sunny in three days!" They've barely left behind the others when Sentomaru lands in their path, proceeded by his axe. "Move! Gum-Gum...!" The man thrusts his palms out, and sends Luffy flying to their surprise. He chases after Luffy immediately after.

"Ashigara Dokkoi Shove!" shouts Sentomaru, smashing Luffy into a near-by building. "Your attacking power isn't bad, but I have the greatest defense in the world! Just so you know, I don't have powers!" There's a resounding explosion behind him and Run looks back quickly. "Geez, took him look enough. It's about time you got here, Uncle Kizaru!"

"Be careful!" screams Robin, looking through the smoke. "That man is an admiral!" The smoke finally clears to reveal Kizaru holding one of his legs over the downed swordsman. It's glowing brightly as if ready to discharge another beam. Usopp raises his sling shot and fires at the man but his pellets pass through harmlessly. Run's eyes widen and he moves towards them quickly, closing in on the two in an instant.

"Sea King's Bite!" snarls Run. Kizaru spares him a casual glance as if waiting for him to pass through. His eyes widen just before his fist connects with his jaw and his head snaps in the opposite direction. The admiral is tossed away, and smashes into the ground several meters away in a large crater. "Now! Usopp! Brook! Take Zoro and-" There's a brief flash and a beam of light pierces Run's stomach. He stumbles back, dropping to a knee before spitting up a mouthful of blood. He presses a hand firmly against the heavily bleeding wound, clenching his teeth tightly.

"Ooh...you really gave me a fright, Red," drawls Kizaru, appearing in front of him. "I never imagined there would be someone who could actually hit me here." He pauses for a moment. "Aaah, now I recall...Aokiji did mention someone like you sailing with the Straw Hat crew...the son of 'Red Haired' Shanks." He reaches up towards his sunglasses, and removes them to stare at the badly bent frame before tossing them aside. He holds a hand out in Run's direction, and energy rapidly gathers. "Although, I'm not sure how the World Government will feel about provoking a Yonko by killing his son...we can't lose face with the Celestial Dragons, however. Aah, well. I guess we'll just see what happens."

"You planning on talkin' me to death?" Run ducks his head and spits out a small mouthful of blood onto one of Kizaru's shoes before turning to look up at him with a smirk. "C'mon, already. Take your best shot, old man. We'll settle up after."

"Aaah, the youth today sure are scary." The red head feels a rush of wind, and Kizaru's arm jerks away. An explosion sounds in the distance and Kizaru takes a step back from the man in front of him. "You're getting involved in this...'Dark King' Rayleigh?" Rayleigh chuckles softly in response.

"Can't have you picking on the young'un's, Kizaru," Rayleigh tells him. "Their era is just beginning." Everyone around exclaims in relief, happy to see Rayleigh saving Zoro and Run.

"You know, I'd heard that on occasion you could be found on these islands. I guess the reports were true. Are you defending these children because you were a pirate...even if you aren't what you used to be?"

"It'd be no problem to retire and live peacefully if you took down my wanted posters."

"The crimes of the Roger Pirates cannot easily be so forgiven."

"Well...be that as it may, I don't suppose you could over-look them, could you, Kizaru?"

"Cut me some slack here. If I don't capture them, how can I return to Navy Headquarters? Not only that, but that boy is the son of a Yonko...obviously he can't just simply be allow to go free. Now, can I ask you to step aside, Rayleigh?"

"Usopp! Brook!" screams Luffy. "Take Zoro and Run and escape!" Run feels a very boney pair of hands grab him and haul him up before taking off. "Everyone! Focus on escaping! We can't beat these guys!" Brook carries the red head tucked under an arm, sprinting as fast as his legs will carry him.

"Just hang on, Run!" Brook urges him. "We're going to get you help!" Run groans in response. "I know what you did on Thriller Bark. I promise, I'm going to get you out of this!" Loud, rumbling footsteps sound behind them and Brook looks over his shoulder. "Aaaah! Go away! Why are you chasing _us_?!" The Pacifista raises one of it's hands and starts to fire a beam at them when it's struck in the back by Sanji. "Yohohoho~! Good job, San- Eh?" Their cook holds his shin and goes crashing to the ground several meters ahead of his target.

The Pacifista stands and aims at the cooks back, energy gathering in it's hand. "Sanji! Move! It's aiming at you!" warns Usopp.

"Idiot!" growls Sanji. "What are you doing?! Run away!" Sanji dodges the attack at the last second but the attack knocks all of them to the ground. The smoke clears slowly, revealing Zoro and Run lying several feet away. Usopp quickly crawls towards them, apologizing for letting them be dropped. "D-Damn you...stop!" Sanji holds tightly to the Pacifista's ankle as it pushes forward. Eventually, it seems to grow annoyed and reaches down to grab him by the front of his jacket.

"Sanji!" It fires a beam right through him, and then another at Usopp, barely missing him. The Pacifista steps through the smoke again, and slowly raises it's hand, intending to wipe them all out in one shot.

"Wait, PX-1," speaks a calm voice. The Pacifista stops as ordered, and the all turn towards the voice. Run pushes himself up from the ground with a grunt and looks up at none other than the real Kuma. Brook and Usopp panic immediately, looking rapidly between the two. "So, you're still alive, Run." The red head smirks in response. "Tell me...if you were to take a trip, where would you like to go?"

"Huh," grunts Run, staring into the Shichibukai's eyes. "Somewhere with good sake..."


	47. Two Years! Let's Meet Again!

Hello~! Unfortunately, this is going to be yet another short one. But, the good news is that it's going to be the last short one! I hope you all enjoy~!

* * *

Flying...flying what feels like an eternity through the sky. The red head can't see what he's passing through all the clouds but it doesn't really matter in the end. No matter where he lands, he's going to make his way back as soon as he can. He's going to go back and find the others. With that thought in his mind, the red head slowly closes his eyes, trying to block out the pain from his wound and focus on just the rushing of the wind past his ears. For now there's nothing he can do but wait...

There's silence now...no rushing wind, nothing but silence...no, there's a sound. It's...humming? Run opens his eyes slowly, finding himself staring not at open sky but at a ceiling. The red head slowly turns his head towards the noise, and his eyes widen when he sees none other than...Makino? How is this possible? Has everything just been one big dream? Run pushes himself up, and grunts softly as pain races through his stomach. Maybe not. But if it wasn't a dream...then...did Kuma really send him all the way back to Foosha Village? That's certainly one way to take him out of the fight, so to speak. Makino notices his grunt and looks up from the bandages that she's been bundling up.

She turns in his direction, smiling brightly when she sees him leaned up. "Run!" speaks Makino, stepping in his direction. "You're finally awake! I've been so worried."

"Sorry," Run mutters. "You found me?"

"Not me, no. Dadan found you in the mountains."

"How long have I been out?"

"A little over a week."

"Was there anyone else with me?"

"No." Run sighs and nods in response. Makino falls silent for several moments now. "Run, I...there's...I don't..." The red head arches a brow while Makino stumbles over her words for several minutes before taking a deep breath. "Run, I...I don't know how to tell you this...but...Ace..."

"Ace? What about him?" Run throws his feet over the edge of the bed and presses a hand against his stomach.

"Ace...he's...Ace is..." Her voice wavers and Run's brow furrows as he hears Makino's voice begin to waver. "Ace is...dead." His eyes widen in surprise while Makino finally breaks down into tears. He takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. Ace is dead? How? It's only been a week...just what in the hell has happened while he's been out?! It takes several minutes for Makino to calm down before she can explain everything to him. Not only has Ace been killed but even Whitebeard, and all of this happened at Marineford.

Run isn't exactly sure how to take Ace's death. On one hand, the two of them have never really seen eye to eye...and on the other, since he was so close to Luffy he also spent a lot of time with Run. He never really hated him it was just that they butted heads on occasion. Run breaths another deep sigh and then stands. "I need to get back," Run says softly. "I'm sure that Luffy is upset."

"Run."

"Is Old John in port?"

"He left a few days ago. He should be back from fishing soon...why?"

"He's the only one who might take me to Loguetown. I'll find a ship to the Grand Line from there." Run approaches his dresser. When he'd left the first time he'd taken a lot of his clothes but he'd left behind a little bit just in case they ever came back for a visit. "I, uh...I need to get dressed, Makino. So..." She nods quickly, and heads for the door.

"I'll be downstairs." The door closes behind her and Run pulls out some clothes from his dresser. He changes into a pair of pants similar to his old style and a white long-sleeved v-neck shirt. He pushes the sleeves half-way up his forearm, slips on his geta, grabs his saber and stuffs his wallet into his pocket before leaving. Makino had given him an extra room above the bar when he first started staying with her, so it's hardly any time at all before he walks down the stairs.

Waiting for him is not only Makino but Woop Slap. "Oi, old man," calls Run, attracting his attention.

"Aah, so the troublemaker is back," replies Woop Slap. "I heard that Dadan found you unconscious in the mountains." Run chuckles in response, and approaches the bar as well. "Maybe this will serve as a lesson that piracy doesn't pay."

"Haaah, yeah, yeah. I'll only be here for a little bit. I'm trying to get back to the Grand Line...back to Luffy and the crew." Woop Slap snorts in response, even as Makino places two cups of coffee on the bar-top. Run picks one of the mugs up and takes a sip from it.

"I'm sure Makino told you what happened, then." The red head nods in response. "You youngsters-" The doors to the bar are suddenly thrown open and a man hurries inside. "What's going on?"

"Makino, Makino!" shouts Gyoru. "Luffy is in the...Run? Hey, kiddo!" Gyoru approaches with a big smile, and slaps Run on the back firmly. "I didn't know that you were back in town! O-Oh! I heard what happened in Marineford, I'm...I'm sorry, kiddo."

"What happened?" Makino asks quickly.

"Oh! Right! Look! Luffy is in the paper!" He places the newspaper down on the bartop for all of them to see. Luffy has made the front page, his strawhat pressed against his chest and his head bowed. There's something written on his arm. Run narrows his eyes as he stares at it for several moments before finally smirking.

"Haaah," sighs Run before tossing his head back. "Dahahahahahaha! So...it's like that, then." All three stare at the red head in confusion. "Alright, then, Captain! I'll just have to change my plans." Run sets his mug down on the bar top. "Makino...do you still have a way to get in touch with the old man?"

"Shanks? Yes, I do," replies Makino, nodding. "But why do you-"

"Good. Tell me him come get me. I'm going to be taking something of a vacation for a little bit..."

* * *

After Makino sent off the letter, Run immediately went to the port to wait. He sits calmly on the steps leading to the docks, waiting for the old man's arrival. He ignores everything and everyone, staring off towards the horizon through the day and even through the night. It isn't until dawn of the next day...that he finally see's what he's been waiting for. It's surprisingly good time considering he has come all the way from the Grand Line. The old man must really have been in a hurry. The red head stands with a grunt and cracks his neck loudly as he walks down the dock.

"Two years," mutters Run. "Alright, Luffy. We'll meet again in two years, then. But first...I need to find Robin." The ship draws closer and closer until Run can finally make out several figures standing at the bow. He squints his eyes to see through the bright light of the rising sun. "Is that...?" A grin splits his face from ear to ear. "ROBIN!" Standing beside a grinning Shanks is none other than Robin!

"You! Stop right there!" shouts a voice from behind. Run looks back quickly at a large group of Marines. He recalls now that Makino did mention before he left the bar that the village had come under the protection of Garp and the Marines. Ignoring them completely, Run dashes forward and dives into the sea before that can react. The Marines sprint down the dock while he disappears below the waves. "Fire! Don't let him get away!" The Marines fire wildly into the water, hoping to hit the red head.

The ship in the distance suddenly begins to turn, changing it's heading away from the village. As it turns it's side to them, they watch in confusion as a number of arms sprout from the side, and clasp their hands together in a strange mimicry of a ladder. Run breaks the surface of the sea, quickly clambering up the arm ladder as the ship shows it's stern to them and begins retreating in the direction it's come from. His feet have barely hit the deck before most of the crew has crowded around him, teasing and laughing.

"Looks like the kid went and became a man, huh! Finally grew up into a proper pirate!"

"What's this? You can grow a few chin hairs now, huh, kiddo?"

"You got tall, huh, kiddo? Guess I can't call ya shorty no more, eh?"

"Guess it's a good thing! We don't keep milk on the ship anymore since you left!" Raucous laughter echos through-out the crew as they continue, patting him on the shoulders and back.

"Yeah, yeah," grunts Run, shaking them off with a grin. "Good to see all of you, too. You old bastards haven't changed in the slightest." A round of laughter echos out and they all continue their teasing for a few more minutes before he finally slips away and walks towards Robin. She's been standing at the bow of the ship beside Shanks the whole time, a small smile on her face. She looks as if she's going to say something but Run doesn't give her the chance.

He embraces her, arms sliding around her waist before he kisses her fiercely. Her arms quickly circle his neck, holding him tightly as she kisses him back. The crew falls silent now...at least until Robin finally pulls back, her lips slightly swollen. "Hey, you," murmurs Robin, smiling.

"Hey, you," replies Run chuckling. "Not that I'm not happy to see you...but what are you doing here?"

"We picked her up about two days ago," Shanks tells him. "You never told me that you split up your Vivre Card. Imagine my surprise when we tracked it to a Revolutionary Ship."

"Two days ago?" Run echos. "So, you were on the way to get me before Makino sent you a letter."

"We saw Luffy in the paper. Two years, right?" Run nods in response, finally releasing Robin. "So...I thought if you were going to be free for two years, it might be a good time to come home for a little." After a few moments Run nods yet again, and then turns to face Shanks fully.

"Let's pick up where we left off last time, dad." Shanks grins in full force before nodding in response.

"Alright, then! But before we get start...let's celebrate! Robin and Run are back with the crew again!" Loud cheering raises from everyone gathered. Two years of training ahead of them...two years of celebrating...things are going to be awfully busy for an awfully long time...


	48. Back to Sabaody! Strawhat's Reunited!

Hello, once again~! Sorry for taking so long to update the story, everyone! I've been dealing with this, that and the other and before I knew it time had very much gotten away from me. But now, I'm back again! Unfortunately, I'm going to have to break my promise...this is gonna be a bit short. But, regardless, I hope that everyone of you enjoys it! Without further ado, here you go!

* * *

The sound of bubbles popping again and again echos loudly. Two years...it's been two whole years since he's last set foot on this archipeligo. But now he's back, walking the same stairs to the bar he walked before. Run just never imagined he'd be doing it alone again. The red head stops at the top of the staircase and glances over his shoulder back in the direction he's come from. Shanks, Robin and the whole crew are somewhere on the horizon. His training has been completely different than hers for the last two years...and it's understandable that she'd want a bit more time to perfect it as much as possible.

Run sighs heavily and turns towards Shakky's bar again. He walks forward, and pushes the door open calmly. Rayleigh sits at the bar, drink in hand, across from Shakky. "Oh, my," sighs Shakky, staring at the red head. "Look who it is." Shakky eyes him for a moment before chuckling. "Does Benn know you've borrowed his clothes?" Run glances down at himself briefly. He's borrowed one of Benn's black long sleeved shirts and a yellow sash to wear around his waist but kept his pants and geta. He is the only person on Shanks' crew who is almost the same size as him, after all.

"You're second to arrive, Run," Rayleigh says, slowly turning to look back at him. "In fact, you just missed Zoro. He's on the way to the Sunny, right now."

"Haaah...that so?" drawls Run. "Well...I guess I'll go pay him and the Sunny a visit."

"There's no need to rush." Shakky places an empty glass in front of Run, and Rayleigh fills it with a smile. "I heard that you spent these last two years with Shanks." The red head smiles and nods in response. He recounts some of his time spent training, traveling and partying with Robin and Shanks over the past two years. It's been...quite the adventure, to say the least and quite enlightening. Shanks had told him everything about the war in Maineford, and everything about Blackbeard, the instigator of it all.

"Yeah," Run grunts, brow furrowing. "It was...enlightening, to say the least." There's a sudden crisp 'snap!' and the glass in Rayleigh's hand cracks. The air of the bar feels suffocating, and stagnant, and it feels as if the whole place has just lowered several degrees. Not even a spider hiding away in some forgotten corner would dare to move under such an oppressive feeling. "Very enlightening."

"Easy, kiddo. Can't have you tearing down the bar, now." The force of his Haoshoku completely disappears, and it with it the suffocating atmosphere. "You know, if I thought you might listen to me I'd tell you to keep your distance from Teach."

"The old man gave me the same warning, Rayleigh. But you can't honestly expect me to just let him run wild and do whatever he pleases, can you? After what he did in Maineford? Ace and I didn't always see eye to eye...but we were still friends."

"Killing him won't resolve anything...and it certainly won't bring the dead back to life."

"No. But it'll help them rest in peace."

"You need to think about this, Run. What is Shanks' only weakness now?" Rayleigh calmly sets his broken glass down before reaching up and placing a hand on the red head's shoulder. "YOU. You're his biggest and only weak spot." Run lowers his eyes to the glass in front of him, staring at his reflecting in the amber liquid.

"I guess it's a good thing I know how to keep a low profile, then."

"Secrets kept in the dark will always come to light."

"Sounds like you don't think I can take care of myself." Rayleigh laughs and then pats him on the back.

"Just the opposite, actually. I'm just offering you this old man's wisdom." The red head nods and steps back from the bar. "Going already?"

"Yeah. I'm going to go check on the Sunny..."

\- - Several Days Later - -

The red head has wandered the streets of Sabaody for a little under a week now. The place has gotten a lot rougher over the past two years. He's seen numerous fights in the streets between different pirate groups but paid all of them nothing but a passing glance. He feels bad for the people who live here and have to put up with all of this but he's not a Marine, and he's not going to bother with every little fight he comes across. Regardless of the harsh reality that comes of living in such a place, the streets are remarkably lively. They're lined with stalls on either side with people selling all sorts of souvenirs to those that have made it across the first half of the Grand Line.

Honestly, he's been more focused on scanning the crowd wherever he's gone. He's looking for a figure he'd recognize anywhere, one that he hasn't seen for a few days but he's been expecting any minute. He stops in the middle of the crowd when he catches sight of a tall dark haired woman. Run has seen a few tall, dark haired women over the few days he's been here...but none with that particular walk. That same swing of the hips, that same gait. A smirk appears on his face as he starts to follow. She disappears just as easily as she appeared, and Run stops in place, scanning the crowd.

Two men in black suits suddenly break from cover, and chase in her direction quickly. Run's brow furrows, and a scowl appears on his face. Regardless he follows after them and her, cutting through the crowd carefully regardless of the fact that they don't seem to have noticed him. The red head passes by a dark alley, and stops in place again when a soft, familiar fragrance reaches him. Run closes his eyes, a dreamy smile spreading across his face as he turns his head. His eyes open slowly, finding a woman leaning against the wall in the alley.

The red head calmly paces into the alley, wrist resting on the hilt of his saber. The woman smirks lightly as he approaches, arms crossing as she leans her back against the wall. Run stops in front of her and plants a hand on the wall beside her head before leaning in. "Hey, you," Run murmurs, staring into her eyes hidden behind her sunglasses. A melodious chuckle escapes the woman as she slowly reaches up and lifts her sunglasses from her eyes.

"Hey, you," Robin purrs in response, staring into his eyes. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Don't worry about it. Finish what you needed to?"

"Of course. Shanks was very helpful." Robin pauses for a moment. "Here. I picked these up not long ago." Run steps back while Robin swings her small back-pack around and digs out two pieces of paper. She holds them out to the red head who stares at them in confusion. One is a flyer for some kind of...show? Emblazoned on the front is very obviously Brook. The other, however, confuses him even more.

"A concert for Brook, and a recruitment notice...for the Straw Hat's?" His brow furrows and he crumples the paper up before tossing it to the ground. "This imposter certainly has guts, I'll give him that."

"It's a shame he doesn't have the brains to match. The World Government is no doubt already well aware of this by now."

"Which means that Marines are probably on the way already."

"So much for quietly setting sail."

"Is that really our style?" Robin giggles in question. Run chuckles with her and finally seems to notice the dark circles under her eyes.

"Are you alright?" She nods and smiles at him.

"I'm fine. However, I have discovered that after sleeping next to you for two years...it's rather difficult to fall sleep without you." This earns a round of amused laughter from the red head while Robin crosses her arms again. "Must be the lack of snoring."

"Anyway," begins Run, earning another giggle from Robin. "We should probably head back to the Sunny..."

* * *

They chat and laugh as Run takes Robin back to the Sunny. It's a short walk, made all the shorter by their laughing and talking. When they're finally there, Robin stops to stare at the Sunny with a smile on her face. "Sunny," sighs Robin. "Sorry to keep you waiting for two years." Run smiles as well and captures one of her hands in his. Returning to the Sunny for the first time in what felt more like a decade had brought back so many memories. They'd made happy memories over the past two years that neither of them would trade for anything. They'd always felt welcome with Shanks' crew...but there's really no place like home.

" _Yooow~_!" screams a voice from the deck. "What an attractive couple before me~! Robin and Run, aren't you?!" The man, who has completely changed over the past two years, leaps up onto the railing of the Sunny closest to them and poses boldly.

"Yo, Franky," Run calls.

"My, Franky, you haven't changed at all," adds Robin, giggling lightly.

"What are you talking about?!" demands Franky. "Of course I've changed! Just take a look at my body! It's FULL of romantic masculinity! YOW~!"

"Yes, it's rather difficult to see you as merely Human now." Both of them jump the distance to the Sunny with ease. Robin looks down at the squishy coating under her feet and smiles. "Is this the coating?" She approaches the mast and gently pokes at it. "It's like jelly!"

"Rayleigh did an amazing job on the coating."

"Did anyone else stop by?" Run questions.

"Usopp and Sanji stopped by. Usopp went to get fuel and Sanji went to get some food. Counting Robin, that makes nine people. The only one who still hasn't show up is Luffy." Run sighs heavily and then nods in understanding. He approaches the railing of the ship. "Oi, where are you heading?"

"I'm gonna go find Luffy. When we've got him we can finally set sail."

"Do you still have that Transponder Snail I gave you?"

"Yeah. Call me if he shows up!" The red head jumps back to dry ground with ease, and disappears from their sight quickly. He's barely left behind the Sunny before a loud ruckous in the distance draws his attention. People shouting, fighting and explosions echo through the grove. If Luffy is anywhere...Run would bet money that's where he'll be. So, he makes a dash for the noise, covering ground as quickly as possible. The closer he gets the louder the fighting seems to get.

"Oi! Red!" shouts a familiar voice, causing him to come to an abrupt halt. He looks back quickly, finding Sanji and Zoro sprinting in his direction. "Long time no see!"

"Zoro...what the hell happened to your face?" Sanji breaks out into mocking laughter while Zoro fixes him with a glare.

"Am I gonna have to chop you up, too, Red?" growls Zoro, thumbing the tsuba of his katana.

"I think we've got some time. Wanna take a shot at it?" Run grips the hilt of his saber, staring at Zoro. A deafening 'boom!' sounds in the distance and all heads turn. "Let's put this off, actually. I have a feeling Luffy is the one making all that racket." The trio turn and go sprinting towards the commotion in the distance. The closer they get the louder the sounds of fighting grow until at least they can see everyone. Dashing away from the crowd and carrying a large pack on his back is someone they'd recognize no matter how long it's been. "Luffy!"

"Ohh!" laughs Luffy. "Run! Zoro! Sanji! There's definitely no mistake! It's really you three! It's been a while, guys!"

"Damn it!" screams a voice from the crowd. "'Black Foot! Roronoa! 'Red'! I knew you three were still alive! PX-7!" A Pacifista barrels out of the crowd towards them.

"Outta my way!" growl the trio. In a flash they've appeared behind it, cutting it down with ease...which spawns an argument between the trio as to who actually killed it in the end. None of them pay any attention to the resulting explosion of the cyborg behind them.

"Luffy, everyone is waiting," Run says. "Let's get back to the ship!" They take off in a flash, heading back in the direction of the Sunny when Luffy suddenly comes sliding to a stop. They follow their Captain's line of sight to find Rayleigh standing in the distance.

"Rayleigh!" screams Luffy, grinning. "Thank you for everything these past two years!" Luffy drops his pack and thrusts both hands skyward. "I'm gonna do it, Rayleigh! I'm gonna become King of the Pirates!" Hearing the Marines start running in their direction, Luffy quickly picks his pack back up and they go sprinting off in the direction of the Sunny. They feel like they've lost them when they suddenly find the Marines standing in their path. Before they can do anything, the Marines are brought to their knees by a swarm of familiar ghosts. They come to a halt as a woman they recognize hovers down from the sky.

"Jeez, you haven't even left yet and you're already making a fuss," complains Perona.

"What are you still doing here?" Zoro grunts, crossing his arms.

"Huh?! How could you talk to me like that?! If not for me, you wouldn't have even made it here!" Zoro muses out an apology while Sanji seems to have fallen head over heels for her. "A-Anyway, just set sail, already. I saw Navy Ships on their way here. If you wait much longer, you won't be able to escape!" A huge shadow falls over them and all heads turn skyward to an absolutely huge bird.

"There you are!" screams a familiar voice. Sitting on the head of the massive creature is none other than Chopper. Their doctor is all smiles as the bird flys low enough for them to jump on it's back. He's over-joyed to see the four of them. Even making their escape he's chatting and laughing, and asking them where they've been and what they've been doing for the last two years. They arrive at the Sunny within minutes, and the moment Sanji lays eyes on Nami and Robin, he suffers such a severe nose-bleed that he actually goes flying off the back of the bird and into the sea below.

"Someone should probably get the idiot cook," mutters Zoro. "Not it."

"Not- Damn it!" complains Run, standing and then jumping off the back of the bird. Run fishes their cook out of the water, and hauls the two of them back onto the deck with the rest of the crew to be examined by their doctor. Luffy seems to be completely mesmerized by Franky's upgrades, ignoring nearly everything going on around them. It isn't until a barrage of cannon balls crash down just beside the Sunny that he finally tears his attention away. Navy ships loom on the horizon, sailing rapidly in their direction. Before they came come closer or fire another barrage, they're cut off by another ship.

"That's a Kuja Logo," observes Robin. "They're strong amazonian pirates led by the Shichibukai Boa Hancock." Brook comes dashing over to the railing of the Sunny, and snatches the telescope out of Usopp's hands. "They say that anyone who see's her will be attracted to her beauty and turned to stone in the end." Moments later, Brook recoils sharply, apparently awestruck by her beauty. Usopp catches the scope and turns it on the ship as well.

"Wow!" exclaims Usopp. "A goddess! It's a real goddess!" Sanji, who has been recovering from his nose bleed, suddenly jumps up and sprints over. He grabs the telescope from Usopp, rapidly scanning the deck of the ship in the distance for several moments before suddenly turning to stone and collapsing backwards. Luffy approaches slowly to take a better look before suddenly grinning.

"Oh, it's Hancock!" announces Luffy. "She's helped us! So let's set sail!"

"You know her?" Nami questions him.

"Yeah, I was sent to Maiden Island and became friends with her."

"Isn't that the legendary female only island?" Usopp mutters. "I thought it was just a myth...I didn't know it was real."

"Alright! Let's get ready to set sail!" They quickly weigh anchor get ready to descend to Fishman Island. Franky jumps over the railing of the Sunny and disappears below the surface of the sea. The coating covering the ship shudders and then begins expanding before ballooning out into a big bubble. This amazes most of the crew save for Nami and Run. Their Navigator unrolls a piece of paper and holds it out in front of her.

"Everyone, listen up!" calls Nami. "A coated ship has the ability to reduce any kind of pressure. But once the ballast balloon on the bottom of the ship has been deflated, the ship will begin to sink. This is how we're going to get to Fishman Island. Now, unfurl the sails!"

"A coated ship is driven by the sea current instead of the wind," Run tells the confused members of the crew.

"Everyone," begins Luffy, drawing their attention. "I've got a lot of things that I want to share with all of you...but thank you for going along with my selfish decision these past two years! Now...let's go! Spread the sail!" Brook and Zoro jump down from the mast, unfurling the sail quickly. "Set Sail! Let's go to Fishman Island...!"


	49. Dive Deep! On to Fishman Island!

Hello, again~! It's been a while, huh? Yeah, work's really been killing me lately so...ahh, never mind! There's no excuse for my slacking off, huh? So, without further delay, here's the next chapter! Be sure to let me know what you guy's think, as always!

* * *

"The surface is already so far up there," Robin sighs, smiling softly. "It's beautiful." Run nods in agreement, watching the fish swim past slowly just outside of the coating. Every one of the crew is completely in awe of the beauty that surrounds them. The huge roots of the mangrove tree's reach further than their eyes can see, tracing out into the darkness towards the sea bed below. The colorful fish that swarm this way and that...it's something you can't see anywhere else.

Since Luffy and Zoro seemed to be so entranced by the fish swimming around them, Nami decides it would be a good time to begin her explanation to the crew how the bubble works. Wherever Sanji spent his last two years must have been an absolute Hell for a 'ladies' man like him, because the moment their Navigator turns to face them he spouts another nosebleed. He pierces the bubble and goes flying out into the sea as a result. Luffy stretches an arm out through the bubble and snatches him back quickly.

"We should see if we can get some blood donations at Fishman Island," Chopper says, staring at the great number of transfusion bags he's hooked Sanji up to. "I wonder if Fishmen and Mermaids have compatible blood with Humans?" While the whole crew is gathered around, and Sanji being treated, Nami continues her explanation from earlier. Basically, the bubble works in the same manner as the bubbles up on Sabaody. The coating will allow things to pass through without hurting it...however, if two many things attempt to puncture the coating all at once, such as in a Sea King attack, it'll pop and the ship will be destroyed by the pressure.

Additionally, if the ship smashes into something or the mast and sails break, the bubble will pop as a result. All in all, it's still a remarkably tough bubble that will hold together no matter what so as long as none of them does anything foolish...right. While Sanji is recuperating, Luffy pulls out a number of lunches from the over-sized pack he's been toting around the whole time and they decide to eat. While they're doing this, Franky let's them all in on a little secret; the man protecting the Sunny while they've been training is none other than Kuma.

Apparently, the Shichibukai has completely lost his personality, and memories...but even so he asked the man who's been modifying him to program a missing into his head; defend the Going Sunny until the day one of the Straw Hat's returns to it. All of this is due to his connection to the Revolutionary Army, and Luffy's father, Dragon. But...now they'll never be able to ask him what his actual motives were. The next time they meet, he's going to be nothing but another tool for the World Government.

While Franky has been explaining all of this to them, Run takes the opportunity to head to the men's quarters. He wants to make sure that everything is where he left it before, in particular, Kitetsu. That sword isn't the kind of thing that he wants to be just floating around and changing hands. Fortunately, his locker in the room doesn't seem to have been disturbed but everything inside, including his clothes, is covered in a layer of dust. While the red head is tidying things up in his locker the door to the room opens, and he briefly glances over at none other than Robin.

"So, this is where you ran off to," Robin says, closing the door behind her.

"This is where I ran off to," Run tells her, closing the door to his locker, and turning to face her. Robin closes the door behind her and approaches slowly. She calmly looks around the room for a few moments before finally turning her attention back to the red head as she stops in front of him. "It's definitely going to be...strange sleeping alone again."

"You could always move in."

"I, uh," Run pauses to lean against his locker door. "I don't think Nami would appreciate that."

"True. She still seems rather...innocent." Robin briefly flicks her attention to the hammocks behind the red head. "So which one is yours?" The whole ship suddenly shudders violently, nearly tossing them both off of their feet. Run catches Robin before she loses her footing and looks toward the door sharply.

"What the hell?!" They move to the door and throw it open quickly, finding another ship ramming into the side of the Sunny. Someone, maybe the Captain of the ship, has even gone so far as to board the Sunny shouting for his crew to 'kill the Straw Hats!' at the top of his lungs. Before anything comes of it, however, the man's ship suddenly breaks off in a retreat, leaving him completely stranded. "Looks like you're all alone, pal." The man begins to panic as Franky and Zoro begin tying him up.

Apparently, he's terrified that they're going to throw him out into the sea...which might not be that bad of an idea considering he came all this way just to pick a fight. With that problem taken care of, however, they all begin to notice that it's growing colder the deeper they go. It's not that much of a surprise, though. Naturally, hot water rises and cold water sinks so the deeper they go the colder it's going to get. The majority of the crew don's coats to fight the cold while Nami tells them how they're going to be getting to Fishman Island.

They're going to take what's known as a deep sea current, which flows independent of the surface currents above. Throughout Nami's explanation, Brook is terrifying Usopp and Chopper with stories of ghosts and spirits that haunt these deep waters...something that begins to frighten even himself. She's barely finished her explanation before Luffy, Usopp, Chopper and Franky notice the changes happening in the sea around them. It seems that they're on the right path. The whole crew goes sprinting to the bow of the Sunny to have a look at this current...which looks to them to be a giant undersea waterfall of sorts.

"Is the ship going to be alright?" Nami questions Franky, who is manning the helm.

"Don't worry!" laughs Franky. "The Sunny is the strongest ship made from the rare tree of Adam! It'll be completely fine!"

"Yeaaaah!" cheers Luffy. "Let's go!" The man who Zoro and Franky tied up somehow worms his way up to the bow with them and looks over the railing of the Sunny. He begins mumbling to himself about some 'monster' at the bottom of this 'waterfall'.

"Straw Hats!" exclaims the man. "Y-You should turn back now!"

"Huh," grunts Zoro. "You know, I completely forgot about you."

"There's a monster down there!"

"Oh, would you shut up already?" Run snaps at him. "You've already ruined..." His words trail off at several massive tentacles rise from the depths in front of the ship. "...ohh. Huh. That's not good."

"It's the Kraken!" bellows Usopp, pointing at the creature. "Look at the size of it! I-It's got ships in it's grip!"

"Please!" begs the bound man. "I don't wanna die! Let's just go back! If you just wait a few days it'll-"

"I have a great idea!" exclaims Luffy. "Run! Let's swim down there and tame it! Then we can make it pull our ship for us! That'll definitely get us there faster!" The red head scratches the stubble on his jaw as if in thought before shrugging his shoulders.

"Think it'll work, Cap'n?" Run questions him.

"You two can't go down there!" Usopp screams, still pointing at the Kraken. "Just look at the size of that thing! You don't even have to look closely! That thing must have lived for hundreds of years! It's the total bane of all pirates everywhere!" Beside Run, Robin is sketching a picture of the Kraken in a notebook. He tilts his head to have a look at the picture.

"That's pretty good."

"Thank you," Robin tells him with a smile. "It's not every day that you get to see something like this. I thought I should record it."

"Shift the helm straight south!" Nami orders.

"Oi, Nami, go straight toward the Kraken!" retorts Luffy. Franky suddenly points out that the ship is being approached from the rear. It seems that the man's crew is coming back to rescue him...at least until the Kraken grabs their ship and crushes it in an instant. Zoro and Run stare at the bodies of the crew floating towards the surface.

"They look like a school of jellyfish," mutters Zoro. This earns a laugh from the red head and a glare from the bound man. With the enemy delt with in an instant, the Kraken sets it sights on the Sunny. It takes a swing at them, and thankfully, Franky activates one of the many gadgets built into the Sunny to dodge it. It's now that the man takes the opportunity to explain to them how to fight the Kraken if they're going to do it. It involves making dive suits out of the bubble which they promptly don. "Oi, aren't you coming, Red?"

"I'll hang back," Run tells him, glancing at the bound man briefly. "Just in case." Their swordsman follows his line of sight to the bound man and nods in understanding. Luffy leads the charge for himself, Zoro and Sanji out to fight the Kraken. They've barely left the Sunny behind before the Kraken raises one of it's massive tentacles to crush them. Chopper and Usopp both panic while Franky responds again by firing off a barrage of missiles at the tentacles. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to really deter it as it attacks from the opposite side.

"Guard Point!" exclaims Chopper, puffing himself up like a giant balloon. His fur completely absorbs the blow but doesn't absorb the momentum imparted. It pushes them directly toward the mountain in the distance.

"We're going to hit the mountain!" screams Brook.

"Mil Fleurs!" calls Robin, crossing her arms. "Gigantesco Mano!" They watch as millions of arms sprout from the side of the Sunny, and press against the mountain, stopping them from striking it and putting them back on their proper course.

"Nice!" laughs Usopp. "You saved us, Robin!"

"Are you alright?" Run asks her.

"I'm fine," Robin assures him. "Although I was exposed to sea water, it was only for a brief moment." They turn their attention to the three outside of the Sunny to see how they're fairing against the Kraken. Luffy surprises them all by suddenly throwing an arm up and out of his bubble.

"Third Gear!" exclaims Luffy, inflating himself and then his outstretched arm bigger than the ship. Seconds later, it turns and inky black. "Hardening!" The Kraken raises one of it's massive tentacles, intending to smash Luffy before he can act. Sanji streaks out of his bubble, heading to intercept the tentacle.

"Diable Jambe!" growls Sanji, his leg glowing fiercely. His kick nearly roasts the tentacle as though he's thrown it on the grill, and then starts retreating back to his air bubble. Angry at having been stopped and being attacked it targets their cook immediately.

"Three Sword Style technique," mutters Zoro. "Crossing the Six Paths!" Run's eyes narrow as he watches the technique, a small smirk appearing on his face. It would seem he's not been idle in the least these past two years. Mihawk and Fawkes must have really put him through his paces.

"Oi, oi!" Luffy shouts. "You can't cut his arms off! I want to tame it!" Luffy flexes his arm and then brings his massive fist down towards the Kraken. "Now...Gum-Gum...Elephant Gun!" The punch knocks the massive Kraken out in a single shot. His punch also causes the Kraken to 'spit-up' a gigantic shark that immediately swims to Luffy, Sanji and Zoro. It seems to be quite thankful that they've saved it and immediately after 'thanking' them it swims off. Seconds later, the whole current shifts pulling the Sunny and the others into the downward current.

It takes everything they've got to keep from crashing into the protruding rock shelves as they're pulled down. Although they do their best to chase up with Sanji, Zoro and Luffy they eventually lose the trio in the gloom the closer they go to the bottom. When things finally settle down, it comes with the realization that they've lost the other three completely.

"Damn it," grunts Run, staring into the surrounding darkness. "I can't believe we lost 'em."

"I hope they haven't been shredded to pieces by that monster," Robin mutters.

"It's too dark down here," complains Usopp. "I wanna search but I can't see anything."

"It'll be fine," Franky assures him. "I have a built in light. Franky...Nipple Light!" Run shakes his head slowly in response. Why, of all places, did he install a set of lights there when just about anywhere else would have been completely better? Regardless, they push on through the darkness. Since they can't stop the Sunny on this current, their only option is to simply keep their eyes open for their missing crew. They've barely begun their descent again before a gigantic jellyfish latches onto the Sunny, and snakes one of it's tentacles through the coating toward Chopper.

"Wow, it's so pretty," sighs Chopper, staring at it. "Hm? Do you want to be my friend?"

"Don't, Chopper!" Robin shouts. "It's probably venomous!" Run moves in an instant, appearing behind Chopper and yanking their little doctor away by the back of his shirt. The two of them seem to 'blur' for a moment, and a sword appears in Run's free hand as the tentacle drops to the deck of the Sunny. Out of the gloom a massive Sea King rushes towards the ship, it's mouth opening wide.

"Here's a little...Coup De Burst!" exclaims Franky, propelling the Sunny out of the jellyfish's grip and out of danger. They watch as the Sea King chomps down on the jellyfish for just a moment before suddenly turning upside down and floating down towards the bottom of the sea.

"Waaah!" screams Chopper, now straddling Run's shoulders and holding tight to his short hair. "That fish turned upside down!"

"I see," begins Robin. "So they contain a neurotoxin as I thought." Run spares a glance at the severed tentacle before a flick of his saber tosses it off the deck and out to sea. They push on for a bit, doing their best to keep an eye out for danger.

"Oi," speaks Brook suddenly. "Has anyone seen that pirate guy from before?" All heads turn to the skeleton, who holds in his hand a set of ropes. The same ropes that they'd used to tie him up quickly. All heads quickly begin scanning the deck of the Sunny. The last thing they need is an enemy running amock while they're down here. He could be hiding anywhere...but when Run's eyes fall on a barrel just left out in the opening a small smirk appears on his face. Having hidden in a barrel before...he naturally assume that they man might have had the same idea.

So, the red head calmly approaches it, and when he arrives in front of it he's surprised when the lid suddenly cracks open. Run squats down to stare into the man's eyes with a grin.

"Found you," Run says, staring into his eyes. The man's body seems to be made of...mud? Run violently slams his hand on the lid, pinning it closed and holding it shut. "Oi! Franky, come here!" Everyone turns their attention to the two of them as Franky jumps from the upper-deck to the lower and rapidly begins sealing the barrel. "Make sure it's water tight. That guy...he's eaten a Logia Fruit of some kind. Whatever kind it was let him turn into a liquid." Franky does just as asked, despite the man's protesting and thrashing within the barrel.

"P-Please, let me out!" pleads the man. "I-I'll be your servant! I swear!"

"Shut up! You should be glad we're at least keeping you on the Sunny. If you'd prefer we could throw you out into the sea." The thrashing and screaming stops abruptly, and Run nods. "Good. Now keep quiet. Next time you get out, I won't hesitate to toss you off the Sunny." With that taken care of, they continue their search through the sea...but things never seem to be so simple. The deeper they go the hotter things seem to get...which is very concerning, actually. How could it be so hot at the bottom of the sea?

"Why is it so hot?" complains Usopp, stripping his coat off. "W-Wait? What's that? Smoke? Why is there smoke underwater?" Everyone moves to the bow of the Sunny to look at what's going on. The only one who seems to know what's going on is Nami...and she begins to panic quickly.

"U-Underwater volcano!" exclaims Nami. "We need to get away! If it erupts, we're going to die!"

"We don't have a choice, then!" growls Franky. "Coup de Burst!" They go sailing away from the volcanic area as quickly as possible but it seems to be just one danger after another. It seems to be just one deep sea creature chasing them after another! Before they know it, they've shrank the bubble down considerably. "I used the Coup de Burst little by little...but we've still lost so much air. Hm?" Franky squints his eyes as a bright light begins to shine in the distance past the bow. "Oi! Look!"

Even if he hadn't called out, it would have been difficult to miss the shining light in the distance. It's nearly blinding in it's intensity, especially considering how dark their surroundings are. The closer they get the brighter the light seems to get...until at least they see what's causing it. "Angler!" shouts Chopper, staring at the huge fish.

"Waaah! We were tricked!" screams Brook. "I can't believe it!" They Angler's massive jaws open to swallow the ship whole, and at the last second, it freezes in place. It's whole body shudders violently as it stares at the red head who is leaning against the railing on the bow of the Sunny. "Wh...What's happening? It's not moving!"

"You'll do," Run says simply. "Oi, Angler, come here." The fish wastes no time at all in obeying the command, shutting it's massive jaws and moving closer to the bow. "We're looking for our friends. We need you to light the way for us, got it?" It, somehow, violently nods in understanding.

"Wh...What is that?!" Ahead of them a massive human appears over an underwater mountain-range.

"I-It's a Sea Bonze!" panic's Usopp. It raises one of it's giant fists...and punches the angler in the head?

"You can't do that, Ankoro," complains the sea bonze. "How many times do I have to tell you? Captain Vander-Decken won't like it." The angler swims around to hide behind the Sunny quickly, staring at the massive creature in question.

"D...Did he just hit that angler?" mutters Nami. All of them freeze, however, when a massive ship sails out of the gloom from behind the two creatures in front of them. It's sails are tattered, it's hull beaten...and emblazoned boldly on what remains of the sails are the words, 'Flying Dutchman'.

"T-T-That...That ship shouldn't exist!" screams Brook. "It shouldn't exist in this world!" Brook explains to them the story behind the 'Flying Dutchman' and it's crew. Apparently, it's Captain went insane during a violent storm, and threw every member of his crew into the churning seas. He even went so far as to curse the Gods, and as a result was punished for his actions. The Captain, Vander Decken, was set adrift for all eternity by the Gods under constant torture. Chopper and Usopp panic immediately, running circles around the deck of the ship rapidly.

Robin begins sketching in her book again while Run peeks over her shoulder. Franky tries to keep everyone calm, reminding them that Brook's ship wasn't exactly a ghost ship so there's really no proof that this one is either. After all, stories are just stories, right?

"We just saw the Kraken which was believed to be an imaginary monster," Robin says. "So, it's not really that surprising to see a ghost ship." Any sort of assurance that Franky might have brought on is immediately blow away like a puff of smoke by Robin. Chopper and Usopp go back to panicking, this time including Nami.

"Hey, be nice," Run murmurs into her ear. Robin smirks and giggles lightly as she continues to sketch in her book. Usopp and Chopper immediately grab onto either one of Run's shoulders, holding tightly as they panic. "What the-"

"Run, do something!" bawls Chopper.

"You have to do something!" adds Usopp.

"What do you want me to do?" Run questions them.

"Ankoro! Wadatsumi!" calls a voice from the ship. "We can't seize their treasure if you eat the ship! Knock it down instead!" The massive Sea Bonze nods in the affirmative, and then raises one of his huge fists high above his head. But before he can complete his task, he's struck right in the chin by a long tentacle. All heads turn towards his attacker, to find the Kraken several meters from their ship. The Kraken continues his beating in an instant, knocking the Sea Bonze flat onto his back where he lies unmoving.

"Oi, that's enough!" calls a familiar voice. "Good job, Surume!"

"Luffy! Zoro! Sanji...!"


End file.
